Karnali Province To Address ‘Food Crisis’ in FY 2020/21 Budget

Apart from the socioeconomic implications of the coronavirus pandemic, the Karnali Province is reeling under the ‘food crisis‘.

According to government records, Karnali Province faces a shortage of 23,420 tons of food annually. The state produces 327,578 tons of food products while the food requirements stand at 350,998 tons.

Among the ten districts, Jajarkot, Dolpa, Humla, Kalikot, Mugu, and Jumla are in severe food crisis as the food production in these locations is not sufficient to meet internal demand.

The remaining districts, including Rukum West, Salyan, Surkhet, and Dailekh are food-sufficient and produce a nominal surplus.

In need of the hour, the Karnali Government has initiated ‘One Local Unit, One Grain Storage’ program to address the perennial problem of food shortage in the state.

The program aims at making the local governments self-reliant through the enhancement of local-level entrepreneurship. Moreover, the program is expected to improve employment opportunities and relive people from the ongoing threat of coronavirus and hunger.

Karnali Province Budget 2020/21

Unveiling the State Budget for FY 2020/21 on Monday, Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning, Prakash Jwala, informed that the Provincial Government had allocated NPR 550 million for food procurement, supply and storage.

The Karnali Provincial Government has allocated a total budget of NPR 33.74 billion for the FY 2020/21.

Of the overall budget, NPR 19.06 billion has been earmarked for recurrent expenditure and NPR 11.67 billion for infrastructure development.

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