MUGU, MAY 21

The Sorukot depot at Soru Rural Municipality in the district is running short of subsidised rice, affecting local people.

The quota of subsidised rice for the depot is 1,500 quintals annually. The stock depletes as soon as the supply is made, said Singha Rokaya, the office assistant. "A tractor of subsidised rice from the Food Management and

Trading Limited in Gamgadhi has emptied as soon as the consignment reached the rural municipality. As a result, there will not be a stock of rice at the depot," he said.

According to him, 50 to 100 quintals of rice has been sold a day. "As a result, the available rice has been shared among customers limiting the quantity of their demand," he said. The demand increases particularly for one month every year when winter crops deplete from mid-March to mid-May and the harvest of wheat and barley is yet to begin, he said.

Annual quota of subsidised rice for the depot is small, said the Company Chief Pushkar Bham, adding that they had demanded the increment of the quota from coming fiscal year, 2023/24. "People of surrounding villages, Bhie, Natharpu, Jima, Sipa, Photu and Ner also reached the depot for rice due to a lack of food items," he said. Flooding and landslips on October 5-9, 2022 destroyed the farmers crops adding to the food shortage, he said.