According to Siddhi Gorkhali, office secretary of Nepal Retailers Association, the price of commodity has increased because of increasing import cost. “As we have to depend heavily on import any changes in the price in the international market and increase in import costs heavily affects the price in the local market,” said Gorkhali.[break]
According to the association, currently prices of lentils, pulses and beans have gone up but within a week prices of other food items such as rice and beaten rice is also likely to go up with old stocks already depleted.
Gorkhali said the government should make favorable environment increasing production of beans, lentils and pulses in the country in order to reduce dependency on other countries.
Traders in the valley said they have been compelled to increase the prices of food items as prices have gone up in the international market.
“We import beans, pulses and lentils from different countries such as Australia, Canada and India and hence the price fluctuation. Production in these countries highly affects the prices in the local market,” said Ganga Ram Maharjan, sales executive of Brown Rice and Health Foods at Ason.
He further added that consumption of beans, pulses and lentils increases in the local market during monsoon as prices of vegetables go up during the season.
Price of Chana dal has increased by Rs 10 per kg to Rs 100, while the price of Mung Chata has increased by Rs 10 to Rs 120 per kg. Likewise, price of Mash has increased by Rs 10 per kg to Rs 130 per kg.
“Prices of small pea, white pea, green pea, kidney beans, gram, and soybean have also increased by Rs 10 to 20 per kg,” said Maharjan.
White pea available at Rs 70 per kg now costs Rs 80 and the price of green pea has reached Rs 90 from Rs 80 per kg. Similarly, kidney beans now costs Rs 130 and the price of soybean has increased by Rs 15 per kg to Rs 75 per kg.
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