KATHMANDU, Oct 6: The arrival of goats and sheep from the western Terai and surrounding areas such as Salyan, Surkhet, Rukum, Rolpa, Gulmi, and Arghakhanchi into the Kathmandu Valley has begun ahead of the Dashain festival.
According to Santosh Bahadur Khatri, the president of the Livestock Purchase and Sale Association, it has been difficult to bring goats from Khotang, Okhaldhunga, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Udayapur, and Kavre due to road blockages caused by the recent floods and landslides. Every year, around 45,000 goats are brought into the Kathmandu Valley for Dashain. Similarly, sheep and mountain goats are also being brought from Manang and Mustang.
In the Kathmandu Valley, goats from the Terai are currently being sold at a rate of Rs 720 to 755 per kilogram live weight, hill goats at Rs 670 to 705, male goats at Rs 670 to Rs 720, and mountain goats (Chyangra) at Rs 1,300 per kilogram. Khatri said that around 11,000 goats are sold from the market along the Tukucha riverbank in the Kathmandu Valley.
Kathmandu bus stations crowded as travelers leave the valley (P...
Look for the green paint sprayed on horns
Meanwhile, the Department of Livestock Services has deployed a team of veterinarians to monitor and inspect the places where goats are being sold, keeping consumer health in mind.
Veterinarian Yogendra Prasad Sharma, who is conducting health checks on goats at Tukucha, said, "Only healthy goats are sold; sick ones are not allowed to be sold." The Department marks healthy goats with green paint on their horns and sick ones with red, advising consumers to buy only healthy livestock.
Meanwhile, the Food Management and Trading Company Limited has started selling goats (Khasiboka) and mountain goats (Chyangra) from today. The company set the price of Khasiboka at Rs 670 per kg but is offering it at a discounted rate of Rs 660 per kg. Similarly, Chyangra is being sold at Rs 1,220 per kg after a Rs 10 discount from the original price of Rs 1,230 per kg.
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