KATHMANDU, March 6: Food Management and Trading Company and Salt Trading Corporation Limited have started wheat import process from India. The two state-owned companies are going to import wheat from India for the first time.
Earlier, the companies that have been buying wheat from local markets and farmers and producing flour and selling it. However, this time they are going to import 7,500 metric tons of wheat from India.
Recently, the Indian government banned the export of wheat. Wheat flour and bakery products based on wheat products became expensive in Nepal due to the shortage of wheat. After the request of the traders, the Nepal government took the initiative and India arranged to export 50,000 metric tons of wheat to Nepal.
50,000 metric tons of wheat required to address shortage
In this, a quota for more than 31,000 tons of wheat and flour industries has been allocated. According to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply (MoICS), government companies have been allowed to import about 7,500 tons.
Food Management and Trading and Salt trading have been assigned import quotas in equal quantities. Due to lack of wheat in the market, MoICS has instructed them to import as well. According to the instructions of the ministry, both companies have said that they have started the import process.
The spokesperson of Salt Trading Corporation, Kumar Raj Bhandari, said that since the import process has started, the wheat will arrive soon. “Salt Trading is going to import wheat from India for the first time,” he said, “Earlier, wheat was obtained through internal purchase.”
Similarly, the deputy general manager of Food Management and Trading Company Shrimani Raj Khanal also said that correspondence has been made for import. "Now we are preparing to bring wheat by managing the transportation," he said.
In these two companies, the demand for wheat flour and semolina is not in large quantities. As wheat is prone to insects, the companies are importing in small quantities.
