KATHMANDU, Sept 12: With the festive season just around the corner, the government is gearing up to open more than 60 fair-price shops across the nation this year, up from 48 such stores opened for the Dashain-Tihar period of last year. According to the Food Management and Trading Company (FMTC) under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, the shops will be brought into operation in the first week of October.

As per the information officer of the FMTC Sharmila Neupane Subedi, the number of fair-price shops might be increased if the local levels assist the company with timely cooperation, "If there is smooth cooperation with the local level, preparations are being made to open more than 60 stores this year," she told Republica. 

Subedi added that the FMTC has also prepared to import around 1,800 goats and mountain goats for this year’s festive period. "We are preparing to import around 1,500 goats and 300 mountain goats this year for Dashain and Tihar," she said.

Subedi added that while the numbers she has provided are tentative, the final number of sacrificial goats to be imported this year will be precisely determined after an official decision from the ministry.

 “If the proposed number of fair-price shops are brought into operation, we will observe the largest annual increase in the number of such shops since its inception,” she told Republica. For the previous three years, the number of fair-price stores across the nation has remained tentatively steady. The FMTC operated 43 such stores in the festive season of 2021, 41 in 2022, and 48 in 2023.

According to the company, the fair-price shops create an opportunity for the general public to purchase goods at cheaper prices than other markets.

 
• FMTC