KATHMANDU Jan, 4: Rising food prices due to Tarai unrest and Indian blockade has burnt a hole in consumers' pocket.
While rise in price of some commodities can be termed logical due to supply constraints, prices of most of the goods have been raised by traders arbitrarily. Among others, food commodities like lentils, rice, edible oil, and sugar have gone up significantly compared to prices recorded before the blockade.
A snap survey conducted by Republica shows that price of different varieties of edible oil have increased by up to Rs 50 per liter. Soybean oil, which was retailed at Rs 120 per liter before the blockade, is now being sold at Rs 160 per liter. Similarly, consumers are paying Rs 175 per liter for sunflower oil which was earlier available at Rs 125 per liter.
Retailers simply pass the buck on traders. They say big traders are trading houses are creating artificial shortage of edible oil and raising prices in an arbitrary manner“ "Price of edible oil climbed to as high as Rs 300 per liter a month before as big traders and trading houses tried to make fast bucks in the name of supply constraints and blockad”," Pabitra Man Bajracharya, president of Nepal Retailers Association (NRA), told Republica, adding "A month ago, we had to pay up to Rs 270 per liter for soybean and sunflower in the wholesale market."
Bajracharya, however, said price of edible oil is coming down slowly after the government started raiding big traders who were increasing price by creating artificial shortage.
Likewise, price of different varieties of lentils have increased significantly. Price of split pigeon pea has increased by Rs 70 per kg to Rs 320 per kg. Similarly, price of red lentil and split Bengal gram has increased by Rs 10 per kg each to Rs 180 and Rs 160 per kg, respectively.
Similarly, price of some rice varieties have increased because of the blockade. Mansuli rice and Jeera Masinu, which were retailed at Rs 50 per kg and Rs 55 per kg, respectively, before the blockade are now being sold at Rs 55 per kg and Rs 60 per kg. Price of sugar has also increased by Rs 5 per kg to Rs 75.
"Retailers have hiked price of almost everything citing supply crunch, high transportation cost or fuel scarcity," Manuda Rimal, a Chabahil-based homemaker, said.
Rimal said her monthly expenditure on food commodities has increased to Rs 13,000 over the past month, compared to around Rs 7,000 before the Tarai unrest.
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