Responding to food scarcities ahead of the festive season, the government is preparing to import 50,000 quintals of rice through Nepal Food Corporation to ease the shortage, a senior government official said. A committee led by Gyandarshan Udash, joint secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, recommended to the ministry to import rice from any country to improve the supply amid reports of acute food shortage in different districts ahead of major feasts. "We have recommended that 50,000 quintals of rice be imported immediately from wherever convenient to ensure trouble-free availability of rice ahead of festivals like Dashain and Tihar,' Udash told the Post. The committee submitted the recommendation to the ministry on Wednesday. Udash added that the ministry, however, had not formally requested India to lift the ban on the export of rice and wheat. The world's second largest rice producer had prohibited grain exports in March and announced a waiver of the import tax on food items to keep domestic stocks up. Traders have been saying that the food shortage will worsen if the government does not arrange to make up the deficit in rice stocks resulting from the Indian embargo. Nepal is dependent on the southern neighbor for around 40 percent of its rice supplies. "The shortage of food will deteriorate with prices going up further during the coming festive season if the government fails to seek alternative sources,' said Satish Kumar Bohara, joint secretary of the Nepal Rice, Oil and Pulses Industries Association. A government survey conducted with collaboration of UN Food agency has recommended for immediate assistance to 286,000 people of nine districts of Far and Western parts of the country. The Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives (MoAC) and World Food Program (WFP)-Nepal had jointly conducted the Emergency Food and Security Assessment (EFSA) recently in Kalikot, Humla, Mugu, Dolpa, Bajura, Achham, Dailekh, Rukum and Jajarkot to assess the over all food security situation in the affected areas. WFP headquarters on Tuesday announced a US$ 214-million roll-out directed at 14 global "hunger hotspots' including Nepal. The support will be used to provide food assistance to urban areas hardest hit by high food prices and small farmers. The WFP will purchase food assistance locally.