Food Shortage Hits Karnali Region Hard
Karnali Messenger-Karnali Forum for Sustainable development
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Surya Mani Gautam
Surkhet, April 19
Remote districts of the Karnali zone, including Kalikot, Dolpa and
Humla, are reeling under acute food shortage for the past 12 days as
food grains could not be transported due to the general strike.
Food items used to be airlifted from Birendranagar, the district
headquarters of Surkhet, to the district headquarters on normal days.
Said Khadka Gyawali, acting chief of the Nepal Food Corporation
(Surkhet), said: "We have not been able to supply food grains because
the airlines and contractors have not been showing interest in
supplying them".
Remote parts of Kalikot district have already been affected by food
shortage for the past three months. The strike has caused food shortage
in the headquarters of Kalikot district too.
Food stocks in the district headquarters of Dolpa and Humla have been
depleting, said the Nepal Food Corporation (Surkhet). As air services
came to a halt due to the strike, the NFC has not been able to supply
foods grains to these districts, sources at the NFC office said.
"NFC offices in district headquarters have been running out of food
grains," Gyawali said, adding: "Supply of food grains should be resumed
at the earliest."