Banke, May 30:

The Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) has begun supplying rice to remote hilly districts in the mid-western region.

Chief of the Nepalgunj office of the NFC Harihar Shrestha said the office has begun supplying rice to prevent any shortage. Generally, food shortage grips the hilly districts from mid-June.

Rice consignments are being dispatched by air to Jumla, Humla, Dolpa and Mugu districts, Shrestha said, adding that rice will be supplied to Jajarkot, Dailekh, Kalikot and Rolpa districts through road transport. Now the districts will not have to face a shortage of rice, Shrestha said.

“This year, there won’t be a food crisis in Humla because we have dispatched more than allotted quota of rice,” he said, adding that stock of rice maintained in the districts should last until October.

Notwithstanding the agreement made with the NFC, private suppliers, at times, have failed to supply allotted quantity of food grain to districts that witness food shortages, he said. Jumla district has received 10,888 quintals of rice, Humla 8,824 quintals, Dolpa 10,600 quintals, Mugu 9,204 quintals, the NFC said. Jajarkot has received 3,430 quintals of rice, Kalikot has received 8,261 quintals and Dailekh district has received 2,768 quintals of rice, it said.

Three days ago, the government had categorised Dailekh, Jajarkot and Dolpa districts as food crisis-prone districts and increased their quota of rice by 1,660, 300 and 800 quintals, the NFC said.