Entrepreneurs seek separate fruit market in capital

KATHMANDU, March 23:

Fruits entrepreneurs have urged the government to provide them with a large plot of public land to set up a separate and organized fruit market in the capital.

Speaking at the 22nd anniversary of Nepal Fruits Wholesaler Traders Association (NFWTA), entrepreneurs urged the government to arrange them a separate venue from where they can conduct trading of fruits.

“The government has to identify a separate wholesale and retail market only for fruits,” Khom Prasad Ghimire, president of Federation of Fruits and Vegetable Entrepreneurs (FFVE) said. “A big separate wholesale market of fruits will also help control anomalies in the price of fruits.”

Meanwhile, Ghimire suggested that the government could build the fruit market at the barren land of Malpokhari of Kathmandu.
“Since Kathmandu is the biggest market for fruits, the barren land at Malpokhari could be appropriate place to set up a fruit market there,” he said.
Similarly, NFWTA chairman Narayan Dhital said that the association has implemented an informal code of conduct for the traders to sell fresh fruits. “We are serious toward the health and welfare of the consumers; so we have informally agreed to abide by the conduct,” he said.

Secretary at the Prime Minister´s Office (PMO), Krishna Hari Banskota, said that the entrepreneurs should also prioritize the interest of the consumers and farmers while talking about their own interest. He urged the wholesalers to ensure the smooth supply of quality fruits to consumers on a modest price.

Secretary Banskota also told the wholesalers that a committee under a joint-secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture Development has already been formed to conduct the feasibility study of providing the land for the fruit market, and added that there should be the arrangement of cold store, parking and waste management, among other, facilities in the fruit market.

He further underlined the need to process fruits to make juice and dry food and to package and brand the products.
Stating that the government has been encouraging farmers to increase fruit production, he said that the fruit sellers should also persuade the farmers to buy domestic products.
According to the fruit wholesalers, around Rs 5 million to Rs 10 million worth of fruits are traded daily from 250 fruit stalls of the Kuleshwor-based fruit wholesale market. They estimate that 75 percent of the fruits in the market are imported from India.

Secretary Banskota said that around Rs 6 billion worth of fruits are imported from India a year.

Source: Republica