MoAD to regulate wholesale markets

KATHMANDU, DEC 30 -

The Ministry of Agriculture Development (MoAD) has planned to regulate major wholesale markets of vegetables and fruits, including the Kalimati market.

The ministry said it plans to implement a commission system that caps the profit margin at 15 percent based on the supply price. The MoAD move comes amid growing complaints about fruits and vegetables prices from consumers.

A recent study on wholesale markets in Kalimati, Tukucha, Balkhu and Baneshwor recently carried out by the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market Development Board found private wholesale markets were charging up to 45 percent more.

Mohan Chapagain, chairman of the board said, they will take action against those who charging customers unfair prices. Chapagain said they have already directed the authorities concerned to control price variations in wholesale markets. “We will initiate the work in the next 10-15 days,” he said. Other plans of the ministry include running only the Kalimati wholesale market under the board and making it mandatory for wholesalers to maintain price lists.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture Development (MoAD) has said it has enough stocks of chemical fertiliser and that farmers would not face a shortage this year. It said it has 97,120 tonnes of the fertilisers in its stock. So far, the ministry has sold 107,499 tonnes out of the imported 204,619 tonnes of chemical fertilisers, including urea, DAP and potash.

Uttam Bhattarai, joint secretary at the ministry, said the ministry imported fertilisers worth Rs 5.70 billion for this fiscal year. “We have asked the Finance Ministry to sanction the same amount for the next year too to avoid any possible shortage,” he said.

In the past, the government used to allocate only Rs 1 billion and had allowed Agriculture Input Corpo-ration to import fertilisers.

Source: The Kathmandu Post