After the Karnali Highway touched the district and different rice varieties from different parts of the country started reaching Jumla, people now have more options to choose from. [break]
According to the locals, the main cause of aversion toward the new rice received as donation from Japan is that it doesn"t taste good and it allegedly caused diarrhea in some cases.
´Only a sack of rice sells in a week´, said Budhathoki. NFC also said the problem might have occurred as the locals do not know how to cook this new variety of rice.
Budhathoki also informed that the locals nowadays are demanding Nepali rice varieties. The locals" complaint regarding the quality of the donated rice might be valid as shipment of such rice from foreign countries takes time and in lack of proper storage facility the quality of rice is affected.
The locals of Malikathata VDC-5 even alleged that the govenrment has been playing with the public"s health by selling sub-standard rice.
´Nepali rice sells quickly but the new rice has been languishing in the store for the past two months,´ informed Budhathoki. Around 4,600 quintals of Japanese-donated rice was already at NFC"s Jumla depot but the government this year dispatched another 1,500 quintals.
´We have just 75 quintals of Nepali rice in stock,´ informed Budhathoki.
But NFC depot is hopeful that the Japanese rice will sell when there is a rice shortage in the district due to possible highway blockages during the rainy season.
The depot also said it had asked the NFC head office not to send Japanese donated rice anymore but the request fell on deaf ears.
According to an NFC official at Jumla depot, the quality of Japanese rice is good enough but they are helpless as people don"t like the taste. The Japanese rice has been priced at Rs 39 per kilo at NFC depot.
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