Business

Agri Minister Khanal inspects slaughterhouse

Agri Minister Khanal inspects slaughterhouse

By Himalayan News Service

Minister for Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives Chakrapani Khanal speaking at an interaction programme in Kathmandu, on Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Courtesy: Reporters Club

Kathmandu, August 23 Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Chakrapani Khanal, has inspected the slaughterhouse today that resumed its operation with the grant assistance from the provincial government in Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City of Makawanpur district. Buffalo Quality Food Pvt Ltd was inaugurated on August 5, with grant assistance of Rs 6.15 million from the government through the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives of Province 3. During the inspection, Minister Khanal said that the government is always ready to support slaughterhouses with modern technology in order to supply healthy meat in the market. He further said that the government will take the initiative to resume and build new slaughterhouses. “The government will support the resumption of slaughterhouses that were shut down due to financial reasons. Similarly, the government will take the initiative to build new slaughterhouses to supply healthy meat in the market,” the minister said. Khanal further said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development is putting an effort to supply healthy food in the market. Hence, the government will do its best for food safety in the country, he added. “The slaughterhouse will supply the meat for the markets of Hetauda and Kathmandu,” said Syed Riyazuddin, operator of the slaughterhouse. As per him, the slaughterhouse has capacity of slaughtering around 20 buffaloes per hour. Although the slaughterhouse has a technology of slaughtering goats and chickens, it will only slaughter buffaloes in the beginning, he added. He further requested the minister to provide them financial support to establish two cold stores and procure four refrigerated vans for the transportation of meat. The slaughterhouse, which was established in 1970 with contribution from the Danish government, had stopped providing services from 1976 due to several reasons. After that the slaughterhouse had been operating on and off but discontinued its services since 2016. After the earthquake in 2015, the slaughterhouse faced difficulties to import buffaloes and it was closed down.