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🇳🇵 Nepal /Economy & Trade

Subsidised rice reaches Humla through Chinese route after 7-year gap

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Subsidized rice is now being transported to Humla, Nepal, via a Chinese route after a seven-year hiatus, bypassing the difficult Karnali Corridor during monsoon season.
  • The journey involves transferring rice from Nepali trucks to Chinese containers in Kerung, China, before reaching Simkot, the district headquarters.
  • This alternative route is reportedly cheaper and safer than the Karnali Corridor, which faces challenges with poor road conditions and risks during heavy rains.

After a seven-year pause, the Food Management and Trading Company has resumed transporting subsidized rice to Humla, Nepal, utilizing a route through China. This decision was made due to the persistent poor road conditions along the Karnali Corridor, which make supplies difficult, especially during the monsoon season.

Even at the current freight rate, transporting rice through China was around Rs8 to Rs11 cheaper per kilogram.

— Krishna Thapa MagarComparing the cost-effectiveness of the Chinese route versus the Karnali Corridor.

The consignment traveled from Kathmandu, through Rasuwa, Kerung, Jongba, Purang, and Hilsa in China, before finally reaching Simkot, Humla's district headquarters. The journey covered approximately 600 kilometers within China and took 17 days. Rice was transported from Kathmandu to Kerung in 28 trucks, then transferred to eight Chinese containers, each holding 400 quintals, for the onward journey to Hilsa.

The Chinese route is considered safer because the Karnali Corridor requires loading and unloading at several points.

— Krishna Thapa MagarExplaining the safety advantages of the Chinese route.

Krishna Thapa Magar, chief of the company's Humla branch, stated that transporting rice via China is approximately Rs8 to Rs11 cheaper per kilogram, even at the current freight rates. He also highlighted that the Chinese route is considered safer, as the Karnali Corridor requires multiple loading and unloading points. The company procured 1,500 quintals for its Simkot branch, 700 for Limi, and 1,000 for Yalbang through this Chinese route.

The road has only recently been connected, and its narrow, unpaved sections make it difficult for large cargo vehicles to operate.

— Krishna Thapa MagarDescribing the challenges of the Karnali Corridor.

China had previously halted food transport through its roads in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before Humla's connection to Nepal's national road network last July, the district relied heavily on air transport for essential supplies. Thapa Magar noted that while the road is now connected, its narrow and unpaved sections remain challenging for large cargo vehicles, making the Karnali Corridor particularly risky during the monsoon. The recent connection to the national road network was achieved after nearly three decades of effort with the construction of a Bailey bridge over the Chuwakhola, but unfinished bridges and poor road sections continue to disrupt travel.

The Karnali Corridor is risky during monsoon, which is why we chose the Chinese route for rice transportation.

— Krishna Thapa MagarJustifying the choice of the Chinese route for rice transport.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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