SAG’s flagship store

KATHMANDU: Sherpa Adventure Gear (SAG) — a Seattle-based climbing and outdoor clothing company — is marking another milestone in its brief history with the opening of its Flagship Store and Bed & Breakfast. Located adjacent to the Royal Palace Museum and just east of Durbar Marg, the 2500-sq-ft store is a unique marriage of Sherpa culture with Western sales philosophy. The store will serve the many trekkers and climbers that come to Kathmandu each year as well as foreign expats, and Local Nepalis’ growing interest in trekking, said the company. Sherpa Adventure Gear’s unique position in the marketplace — a technical outdoor brand producing 95 per cent of all its technical clothing in Nepal — has great appeal for climbers and trekkers

who travel half-way across the

globe to explore Nepal’s vast mountain ranges. — HNS

Sugar shortage

BHAKTAPUR: The shortage of sugar has worsened in Bhaktapur district. The crisis that began even before Dashain has worsened after Dashain. Balika Thapa of Kaushaltar said she spent the whole morning looking for a kilogramme of sugar but had to return empty-handed. Ram Krishna Sankhadev said there was no sugar in any shop in Madhyapur Thimi. He urged the government to sell sugar at different junctions in the city. Even Salt Trading Corporation does not provide sufficient sugar. Kumar Gwacha, a trader, said he could not get sugar even after queuing up for two hours. Meanwhile, some traders have been found selling sugar in the black market at Rs 70 a kg. — RSS

Radish lacks market

PARVAT: Radish seeds grown by farmers in Kurgha VDC of Parvat have not found a market, forcing them to quit growing radish for seeds. Around 80 quintals of radish seed produced by the farmers in Kurgha last year is yet to be sold. The seeds could not find a market after traders preferred to buy seeds produced by farmers in Rukum at a cheaper price. Around 100 families in wards 1, 2 and 3 of the VDC are involved in radish seed production for over a decade. Earlier, the seed used to fetch Rs 100 a kg. But the price has dropped to as low as Rs 50. Farmer Krishna Regmi said his stock of 32 kg of seeds was yet to be sold. Though some farmers wanted to produce oil from the radish seed, they shied away as radish oil is not considered good for health. The seeds are likely to go waste, they said. — RSS

US economy to grow

ISTANBUL: The US economy will be growing again by year end, but tight credit conditions for consumers and businesses will hamper the recovery, the International Monetary Fund said Thursday as it raised its forecast for growth next year to 1.5 per cent from 0.8 per cent. The IMF also issued a warning about US public finances, saying government debt ‘could become unsustainable’ unless measures are taken to restrain deficits, and that President Barack Obama and Congress should make sure health-care reform does not make deficits worse. — AP