General strike badly affected the farmers

The indefinite strike called by the UCPN-Maoist had shut down much of Nepal during the agitation programme.
Across the country, most food retailers were unable to re-stock their supply during the period of the strike due to road transportation restrictions. This had varied affects. In Terai markets, there was generally no major problems faced with stock as the majority of food in Nepal is produced in the region and there is relatively fluid border with India. However, as a result of the strike, agricultural producers and traders were unable to move their produce to major consumer markets at large scale. The strike compelled the vegetables farmers to throw their rotten vegetables. This had cost farmers and traders millions of Nepali Rupees. In the Eastern Tarai alone, the Agro-Products Market Operation Committee estimated the loss at over five million, at

the same time, in other areas markets were constrained by food shortages.
As per a report by the World Food Programme the indefinite strike came at a time when traders in Nepal's Mid and Far Western districts were highly re liant on the transportation sec tor. This is because in the com ing month's monsoon will cause landslides and transportation routes become more danger ous, and in some areas blocked all together. To cope with mar ket isolation, traders in these re mote hill and mountain districts have traditionally adopted a pre-monsoon stock piling strategy. However, the strike prevented this for a number of days.

The report also stated that most food retailers were unable to re-stock their supply during the period of the strike due to road transportation restrictions .In Kathmandu, vegetables per ishing on large scale was wit nessed at Kalimati vegetable market. Retail supply of fruit and vegetables in the Valley was also getting low.

The transportation restric tion on vegetables within the Valley was lifted to allow retail ers to restock. Supply con straints for other perishable items such as milk also oc curred. However, the govern ment of Nepal assessed that non-perishable food supply in Kathmandu was generally sub stantial for one month.