In the last nine months, Rupandehi, one of the largest milk-producing districts in Nepal, has seen an exodus of around 1,200 highly-productive dairy- and breeding- cows. These cows were sold to cattle farmers in Gulmi, Syangja, Pyuthan, Baglung, Rukum, Rolpa and Salyan.
Although Rupandehi has always been considered an ideal place to buy cows from, never had the district seen the exiting of so many cows till date. Laxman Ghimire, a livestock development officer at the Rupandehi District Livestock Office, called it the result of the active promotion of livestock farming in various parts of the country.
"Many community livestock-development projects are encouraging farmers to embrace commercial farming of livestock, such as cows, for a living; this has increased their demand throughout the country," Ghimire said. And as the demand is going up, the price of cows is also skyrocketing. According to the available statistics, a healthy cow now fetches Rs 60,000, compared with Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 of the past. That is the main reason that farmers in Rupandehi are selling their cows like never before.
But as more and more cows are leaving the district, the volume of milk produced there is decreasing by the day. Currently, milk production in the district hovers at around 40,000 liters per day, compared with 50,000 liters of the previous years.
If the milk production in the district continues to go down, it may also affect Kathmandu´s milk market, as Rupandehi supplies around 25,000 liters of milk per day to the capital.
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