‘Rice culture’ is causing food deficiency in Karnali. But, it should change now

Food deficiency and crisis are synonyms in the Karnali region of Nepal. As an intervention to address the food crisis, the government distributes rice at subsidised rates in different districts of the region including Humla.

The Panchayat government started to airlift rice in Karnali in 1972 to address food deficiency for the first time, and it is still ongoing. Food Management and Trading Company (previously Nepal Food Corporation) and World Food Programme (WFP) are the principal organisations that supply rice in Nepal’s food deficit districts.