Kathmandu, Sept 3: Prices of essential goods have risen by as much as 36 per cent over the past six months, contradicting the government’s claim that market prices have fallen by 10 per cent. The surge comes ahead of the festival season, when the government agency responsible for market monitoring remains without a permanent chief.
Responding to lawmakers in Parliament on September 24, Industry, Commerce and Supplies Minister Dipak Kumar Sah said the government had instructed retailers and distributors to cut prices by 10 to 15 per cent. He claimed the intervention had resulted in a 10 per cent decline in market prices.
However, price lists published by the Nepal Retailers’ Association for Baisakh and Asoj show the opposite trend. Prices of more than two dozen essentials, including rice, lentils, sugar, cooking oil and spices, have increased.
Coriander powder recorded the steepest increase, rising 35.71 per cent to Rs 475 per kg. Coriander seeds increased 30 per cent, white soybeans 21.43 per cent and chickpea lentils 20 per cent. Raw peanuts rose 16 per cent, small chickpeas about 15.5 per cent, Dalda ghee 11.54 per cent, Jira Masino rice 10.53 per cent and black gram 10 per cent. Several other staples became 2 to 7 per cent more expensive.
Actual retail prices can be even higher, with rates varying between shops and brands.
Market monitoring has meanwhile weakened at a crucial time. A Cabinet meeting on September 11 transferred Department of Commerce Director General Motiram Sapkota to the Home Ministry. He was later appointed chief district officer of Gulmi, but the government has yet to name his replacement.
The Industry Ministry maintains that regular monitoring continues under acting officials. Ministry spokesperson Jitendra Bahadur Basnet, however, acknowledged that some quasi-judicial functions requiring the director general’s authority have stopped.
The department has powers to impose substantial fines and seal businesses when monitoring teams detect serious violations. Without a director general, teams can inspect markets but cannot immediately take some major enforcement decisions.
The leadership vacuum, combined with rising prices, has raised concerns over the government’s ability to control profiteering and protect consumers during the festival season.
People’s News Monitoring Service
Login to add a comment