Kathmandu, September 23

Over 32,000 goats have already arrived in the capital for the upcoming Dashain festival from Tibet and India, according to the Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

These include mountain goats and sheep from Tibet and ordinary goats from India.

Domestic production meets 70 per cent of the demand for goats during the Dashain festival, said KMC officials.

Dhanapati Sapkota, chief of the Implementation and Enforcement Department at the KMC, said domestic goats are supplied at cheaper rates than the imported ones. He said the KMC would allocate open spaces for traders to sell their goats. The prices of the goats will not be fixed by the KMC.

“The traders can fix the price of their goats as per their wish,” said Sapkota. They will be allowed to sell their goats and sheep only in the KMC-designated open spaces — Balaju Bypass, Koteshwor-Tinkune, Baneshwor-Bijulibazaar and Kalanki Khasibazaar.

“Anyone found selling goats at places other than those designated by the KMC will face action,” said Sapkota. He further informed that a team deployed by the Public Health and Social Welfare Department of the KMC will inspect the health condition of the goats brought for sale in the market. District Livestock Service Office, Nepal Food Corporation and Nepal Agriculture Council will assist the KMC in monitoring the health condition of the goats so as to ensure that consumers are not duped by unscrupulous traders.

The horns of unhealthy goats will be painted red and those of the healthy ones will be painted green by the health inspection team from the KMC.