With Kolti depot of Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) running out of rice stock, villagers of Pandusen, Kolti, Kotila, Jagannath, Bai, Bandh, Sampata, Jukot, Rugin, Gotri and Bichhiya VDCs are reeling under food crisis.[break]
Depot chief Jagat Bahadur Kunwar said the rice stock is only 100 quintals, which is too little to ease the crisis. "We have been struggling to control crowds of people who come for rice," he said.
Since the depot always has low rice stock we first collect 100 quintals of rice and then start distribution, Kunwar said.
Rice shortage in 10 months out of the whole year is a perennial problem here. Villagers say they are hardly meeting their need of two square meals a day.
"I walked six days to reach the district headquarters with a hope of getting just 10 kg of rice," said Lal Bahadur Khatri of Gotri-9.
It is said that the NFC hasn´t been able to determine rice quota even a month after the beginning of this fiscal year, hampering rice supply.
District Food Management Committee (DFMC), Bajura, also confirmed that rice shortage has gripped the VDCs. "We have been repeatedly calling on the Food Corporation for rice supply," said Committee´s chief Amar Bahadur Chand.
Only two months ago, District Food Security Network had urged the World Food Organisation and other authorities concerned to rid the VDCs of rice crisis.
Last year the Kolti depot had 9,000 quintals of rice. "Since that stock couldn´t meet the demand, we had demanded 15,000 quintals of rice this year," said Chief District Officer and DFMC coordinator Yogendra Prasad Pandey.
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