MALEKHU, OCTOBER 1

Dashain is the biggest festival of Hindus in Nepal. The festival is mostly popular for eating delicious food, wearing new clothes and engaging in recreational activities.

However, abrupt price hike has spoiled Dashain festivities this year.

Market places are comparatively less crowded this year. The general public also does not look so excited and joyful this year.

This is the prime season for businesses from clothes, footwear and food, but these businesses have seen a sharp drop this time. 'One the one hand, prices of all the goods have unnaturally increased.

On the other, people are also facing financial crisis,' said food trader of Nilakantha Municipality, Puchharbazaar, Sita Aryal.

'Business has declined by half this time compared to last year. Consumers who used to buy two cartons of cooking oil in the previous years now are limited to a carton. The same trend is visible on the purchase of other edible items such as beaten rice,' entrepreneur Aryal added.

The first Dashain after the coronavirus pandemic has become more costly for consumers, who are facing a hard time due to price hike of daily essentials.

The price of most consumed goods has invariably gone up. Dashain has become costly with abrupt hike in the price of pulses, rice, cooking oil, clothes and meat items.

Ashok Kumar Shrestha, a businessperson in Dhadingbesi, said that the price of imported commodities had gone up in Nepal with the increase in prices of these items in the international market.

Small traders are also not able to level up the investment for business when import of goods has become more expensive.

Generally, consumers are also not in a condition to buy the preferred goods.

'Price hike has continued to hit consumers hard,' Shrestha said.

It is already late for the government to put in place measures to contain the price hike, said General-Secretary of Dhading Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tilak Simkhada.

A version of this article appears in the print on October 2, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.