Private traders have already increased the supplies of goats from last week where as NFC started selling goats from Tuesday. [break]
Ananda Bahadur Chand, chairman of NFC said of the total 3,000 goats targeted to be sold by NFC during the Dashain, around 800 goats have entered the capital till Tuesday.
“Additional goats are being procured from major entry points such as Nepalgunj, Birgunj, Kapilvastu and Lahan. We are planning to bring in targeted number of goats to capital by Fulpati, a seventh-day of 15-day Dashain festival that falls on 21 October,” said Chand.
CARTOON BY RAJESH KC
Chand said NFC was selling goats at higher prices compared to last year though the prices are still below the purchase prices.
NFC, the government food supplier, has set the price of live goats below 25kg weight at Rs 304 per kg where as those more than 25kg have been priced at RS 314 per kg.
NFC has arranged the sales of goats from its go-down at Thapathali office in Kathmandu.
With the onset of Dashain festival, private traders are also increasing the supplies of goats in the capital for last few days.
“The number of goats entering the capital has been going up for last few days. We have expected that private traders will sell at least 40,000 goats in the capital during the Dashain. We are receiving around a dozen truck loads of goats each day which is almost four times higher than the number in normal time,” said Deepak Thapa, president of Nepal Livestock Traders Association.
According to him, maximum of goats will enter the capital during three days between Fulpati and Nawami- the ninth day of Dashain. Targeting Dashain, local traders have begun to sell local live goats at Rs 320 per kg where as Indian goats are selling for Rs 340-345 per kg in the capital.
“Prices of goats will fluctuate as per situation of their supplies and demands,” said Thapa. He however said the supplies of mountain goats in the capital remained insignificant this year as traders could not risk trade of mountain goats that become more expensive in source markets.
“As traders have to pay far higher prices for mountain goats this year compared to last year in the farms, the supplies is nominal,” he added. The capital has been sourcing mountain goats from Tibet through Tatopani and Rasuwagadi passes during the Dashain.
“Some of the traders return empty-handed as farm gate price of goats crossed Rs 400 per kg which is far higher than last year,” Thapa added. According to traders around 40,000 -50,000 goats including mountain goats were sold during the Dashain last year.
Citing a tentative study carried out by the traders, total meat worth Rs 70 billion is consumed annually across the country. According to the Ministry of Agriculture Development (MoAD), total 300,000 heads of cattle are imported to Nepal annually for meat. According to traders around 40 percent of annual meat demands has been recorded during Dashain.
With the increasing demands for meat, per capita production of meat is also going up. The MoAD states that per capita meat production in Nepal increased to 12.84 kg in the fiscal year 2011/12, up from 12 kg recorded in 2010/11. The government´s statistics shows that per capita meat consumption stands at 11kg in the country.
However, a latest report of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), shows per capita meat consumption in Nepal reach 10 kg.
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