The number of online grocery shopping portals in the country is seeing a steady incline. The availability of these online portals has made it easy for people with busy work schedules to buy quality food items at reasonable prices, said providers of such portals.

Some of the leading service providers in the country are Alikart, Metro Tarkari and Mero Kirana.

AliKart, a new e-food platform, sells a wide range of groceries, like vegetables, fruits, meat products, as well as other food services. The portal also delivers halal chicken, making it the only online portal that does so. According to Aarif Khanyari, founder at AliKart, the company is the first online portal that sells halal chicken in the country. “We saw the market need and pounced

on the opportunity,” said he. AliKart has been receiving more than 40 orders for halal chicken daily, he said.

The products available via AliKart are all economically priced, said Sunita Pathak, co-founder at AliKart. The company is also set to introduce a new product: the Alibox, which will contain all the necessary food items one needs in a month, such as rice, lentils, sugar, spices, flour, and toiletries. The box, which is perfect for a family of four, will be priced at Rs6,666. The company currently employs a ‘farm to table’ concept by buying products from local and organic farms and selling them online.

Khanyari said that the company will be increasing its market sphere by expanding its services to India as well. The services will be made available in January 2019. “All the preliminary arrangements have been well taken care of,” he said, adding that the company has investors from Silicon Valley and Mumbai.

Another company, Metro Tarkari, is also a leading e-food platform, which delivers vegetables, meat products, bakery items, beverages, including toiletries. According to Anil Basnet, co-founder at Metro Tarkari, the company purchases vegetables directly from local farms and the national distributor.

Metro Tarkari receives more than 100 orders per day and provides free delivery services inside Kathmandu Valley, up till 2 km outside the Ring Road. The company has been providing

its services in Chitwan as well. The company receives more than 600 orders per day during festivals, he said. “The company accepts orders of a minimum of Rs500, and has been making a daily turnover of around Rs300, 000 per day.”     

 Likewise, Mero Kirana is another online grocery services provider, which has been running for the past 14 months. “We don’t have any price limits, and that is perhaps our USP. We deliver even singular items, such as a packet of biscuit that costs only Rs15, without any delivery charges,” said Sagar Dev Bhatta, co-founder at Mero Kirana.

“Online shopping is hassle-free and the quality of the food is also regulated, which means customers will get qualitative food items at reasonable prices,” he said. The company will be offering special rates in meat products in a few days targeting the festival, he said.