Kathmandu, November 5:

The closure of highways in different parts of the country due to floods and landslides led to a further rise in the prices of daily commodities across Nepal, according to a report published today.

Jumla witnessed a 20 per cent rise the price of wheat flour in September and October, against the price in the previous month, due to the closure of Karnali Highway, the report stated. The price of wheat flour in Humla was Rs 67 per kg in September. The price of black gram also went up by 36.9 per cent to Rs 119 per kg in the Karnali region.

The report was prepared by the World Food Programme in association with the Agro-business

Promotion and Marketing Development Directorate of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) and the Consumers’ Rights Protection Forum.

Prices of key commodities continued to rise in the months of September and October, the report said.

“In particular, the price of masuro (broken lentil), black gram and wheat rose in most markets. The price of wheat is likely to continue to rise until the next harvest in April. The price of maize, which had fallen during last month’s harvest period, has also started to rise in many markets,” the report said.

The report noted that food security situation in the next few months will be largely determined

by the harvest of paddy, which has been started in many parts of the country. The degree of impact that this harvest will have on food security, however, is yet to be assessed, the report said.

The fair price shops that the government has announced to set up but are yet to be established, however, are expected to make positive impact on food prices and availability, the report said.