Pokhara, Mar. 28: Well-planned fruit and vegetable markets are   among the various provisions necessary for people in the expanding urban areas.

Considering the necessity of vegetable markets, the small markets infrastructure development project launched by hmg has completed the construction of a wholesale fruits and vegetable market at Pokhara.

The wholesale market has been constructed on 2.3 hectares (46 ropanis) of land at ward No. 9 of Pokhara Submunicipal Corporation provided by the Pokhara valley town development committee at a cost of Rs 27,000,000 received as grant cooperation from the United Nations Capital Development Fund (uncdf).

Income earned from the market will be deposited in the fund of the pokhara agricultural produce market board of directors and utilised for repair and maintenance and to meet administrative expenses, according to assistant planning officer of Kaski District Agriculture Development Office Tanka Giri.

The fund may also be used for setting up collection centres necessary for the wholesale market and for the construction of wholesale and retail market outlets at other places, it is learnt.

All preparations in connection with opening the wholesale and retail vegetable market from new year’s day 2057 have been completed.

The four-year period of the agreement reached between hmg and uncdf for organising the wholesale and retail vegetable market in Nepal ends next month.

During this period, the small market infrastructure development project has completed the construction of wholesale and retail vegetable markets of “a”, “b” and “C” categories at 19 places in the central and western regions including Pokhara.

Only the market at Pokhara falls in the “A” category. The markets at Janakpurdham, Dhalkebar, Bardibas, Lalbandi, Nabalpur, Narayanghat, Sauratha in Rauthat, Jiri, Charikot, Panchkhal, Dhusa and Dharke in Dhading, Hadikhola in Makwanpur, Tinpiple and Tamaghat in Kabhre, Damauli in Tanahu and Lagankhel, Lalitpur are of “b” and “C” categories, it is learnt from the project.

The project has classified the markets into “a’, “b” and “C” on the basis of incomes over Rs 1.5 million, between Rs 500,000 and Rs 1.5 million and less than Rs 500,000.

In line with the agreement, undcf had provided a grant of us dollars 3.64 million for the construction work and hmg invested to the tune of dollars 0.072 million.

The concerned body is making efforts for mobilising grant cooperation for the second phase construction of well-planned markets at other places of the Kingdom, it is learnt.

Construction work on the fruits and vegetable market at Kalimati in Kathmandu was completed a few years back with the cooperation of undp.

Local bodies and organisations in Biratnagar also made some effort to establish a vegetable market at gudribazaar in Biratnagar. But there has been difficulty due to overcrowding, it is learnt.