Normally, traders used to dispatch some 20 trucks of buffaloes to different parts of the country on every trading, which is held twice a week. But with the festive season round the corner, the traders are busy sending as much as 60 trucks of buffaloes to the capital, Hetauda and Pokhara, among others cities, on each trading day. [break]
Jeetpur, the village bordering India, serves as the main supply point of buffaloes to different markets where the demand for buffalo meat is comparatively higher.
“The number of buyers arriving here has soared drastically over the last couple of weeks,” said Baikhuntha Balami of the Association of Buffaloes Traders, Jeetpur. He said market turnover on every trading day crosses well over Rs 10 million. Balami said approximately 1,500 buffaloes were being sold in every market each day.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives (MoAC), the population of buffaloes increased to 4.68 million heads during fiscal year 2008/09, up from 4.49 million heads recorded a year earlier.
Despite the rise in production, price of buffaloes has not come down due to soaring demand. Supplies have jacked up the prices this year also, citing rising demand in the market.
“The price has increased by Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per head,” Ram Hari of Palung said.
Farmers have fixed the price of buffaloes in the range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 50,000 per head. They said the price was likely to go up further when the Dashain festivities actually begin.
Sellers at Jeetpur have set the price of live buffalo at Rs 150 per kg.
Related story
A buffalo farmer in Bhaisepati
-1778925320.webp)
