Rising costs make Dashain harder to celebrate happily
Summary
Rising prices of food, clothing and other essentials are making Dashain and Tihar harder to afford for households in Kathmandu and across Nepal. Supply disruptions, higher import and transport costs, and festive demand have pushed up costs for rice, oil, garments and meat.
Key Points
- Essential commodity, clothing and meat prices have risen sharply ahead of Dashain, squeezing household budgets.
- Traders blame higher import and transportation costs, supply disruptions and festive demand for the price increases.
- Floods, landslides and border closures have delayed supplies from China, limiting product availability in the market.
- Economists warn that low-income families may be forced to borrow money as inflation and festive spending pressure rise.
