November 7: The state-owned Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTCL) sold around 29,500 quintals of food at concessional rates this year. The FMTCL had opened fair-price shops at various places across the country during the festivals of Dashain and Tihar to facilitate the general public.

The fair-price shops were opened from September 17 to November 1 this year with the objective of providing food to the public at concessional rates during the festivals and also to discourage artificial shortage of food.

According to the FMTCL, it sold 28,939 quintals of rice, 106 quintals of lentil, 10 quintals of pulses and legumes, 10 quintals of wheat, 10 quintals of beaten rice, 464 quintals of meat during the review period.

The FMTCL had operated fair-price shops at 43 different places of 41 districts this year.  The company had provided discounts between Rs 10 to Rs 50 on the items sold during this period.

The FMTCL, however, could not sell ghee and sugar at concessional rates this year because the state-owned Dairy Development Corporation faced scarcity of ghee this year while the Ministry of Finance did not give permission to purchase sugar. The consumption of ghee and sugar is maximum during the festivals of Tihar and Chhath.

FMTCL’s Information Officer Sharmila Neupane informed that the company sold more food items this year compared to last year.