Kathmandu, Nov. 5:  India has agreed to provide 25,000 metric tons of sugar to Nepal before the Tihar festival. A few days ago, after the shortage of sugar in the market, the government asked India to provide sugar through fast track.

Gajendra Prasad Thakur, spokesman and joint secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, said that the procurement process has started to bring in 20,000 metric tons of sugar from India before Tihar.

"India has agreed to provide sugar according to the proposal we made a few days ago," Joint Secretary Thakur said.

According to the ministry, out of the 25,000 metric tons of sugar to be purchased from India, 20,000 metric tons of sugar will be exempted from the customs duty. Thakur said that 20,000 metric tons of sugar will be brought from the southern neighbor within a week.

Similarly, the remaining 5,000 metric tons of sugar will be brought after Tihar without customs exemption, according to the ministry.

According to the ministry, the government has already written to the Indian Embassy through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday for the procurement of 20,000 metric tons of subsidized sugar. India will sell sugar to Nepal through government companies and the sugar will be purchased by Nepal's Food Management and Trade Company.

Likewise, the ministry mentioned that the government has given permission to Salt Trading Corporation and Food Management and Trade Company to bring in sugar. According to the ministry, both the companies will purchase and sell 10,000 metric tons of sugar each before Tihar.

The ministry says that the mechanism of Salt Trading is working for the purchase of sugar through a fast track and now the discussions on the quality and price of sugar are in the final stage.

"Sugar is being purchased at the Indian market price and when customs are exempted in Nepal, it will be available to the consumers at a cheaper price," Thakur said, "All mechanisms are in place to distribute sugar so that it is available to all consumers and retailers.”