Kathmandu, September 13

Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) is preparing to sell around 2,000 goats in the Kathmandu Valley at subsidised rate for Dashain this year.

Every year, NFC sells a certain number of goats at discounted rate in the Valley during Dashain as market intervention to control arbitrary rise in price of goats and provide relief to consumers.

“Along with increasing demand of goats during Dashain, we are planning to supply 2,000 goats in the Valley this year,” informed Shankar Sapkota, spokesperson for NFC.

NFC had sold 1,500 goats at discounted rate of Rs 450 per kg last year.

As per Sapkota, NFC has been selling a few hundred goats every Dashain primarily to stabilise its market price.

However, NFC is yet to determine price of goats it plans to sell. NFC is currently collecting goats from producers based in Dang and Hetauda.

Meanwhile, private traders said that they will supply almost 70,000 goats during this Dashain in the Valley against 60,000 goats supplied during Dashain last year.

“The demand for goats in Kathmandu has increased in recent years with majority of people celebrating Dashain in the Valley itself,” informed Deepak Thapa, former president of Nepal Livestock Traders Association (NLTA).

However, Thapa informed that live goats will be slightly dearer this year owing to low domestic production and increased price of goats in the

Indian market.

As per traders, domestic production of goats will cater to less than 40 per cent of the demand during Dashain.

Last year, private traders had sold live goats at an average of 525 per kg, depending on their weight. Traders have said that live goats will cost around 590 per kg this Dashain.

“We are expecting almost 40 per cent rise in the price of goats this year,” said Thapa.