CHITWAN: Last year, the government provided subsidies as encouragement for buffalo calves businesses in Chitwan district. The subsidies, however, failed to make any changes in overall.

The prompt of the government was not successful as it is cheap to buy calves from neighbouring country India rather than growing them here in Nepal.

District Livestock Service Office Head, Dr. Ram Kumar Karki, informed that each of five farms that were involved in the production of buffalos had received Rs 600,000 as subsidies.

However, this year, Karki informed, only Bakhan Cooperative of SharadaNagar is able to get the second installment of subsidy as others did not continue the businesses.

Earlier, the government had announced to subsidise each farm with Rs 400,000 and Rs 200,000 in the second and the third year respectively to those farms which have more than 100 calves .

According to Narayan Khanal, operator of the Advance Agriculture and Animal Farming in Khairahani Municipality of the district, he left the production after finding difficulty in selling the calves.

Khanal, who started the business in 2009, said he bared the loss of Rs 3.5 million within three years of the production.

He further said meat sellers used to sell meats from adult buffaloes than meats of calves as they are cheaper.

District Livestock Service Office informed that 11 farms had applied for the subsidies last year, while very few have applied this year.