Kathmandu, Oct.31: The sales of goats, mountain goats and sheep in comparison to last year have decreased this year.

Traders said that consumers have reduced the consumption of meat this Dashain. 

Jiwan Raj Khatiwada, Manager at the Khasi Bazaar, Kalanki, said that there has been a 25 per cent decrease in the sale of goats, mountain goats and sheep. 

Sharing the sales details of goats, mountain goats and sheep last year he said, “A total of 27,000 goats, he-goats, mountain goats and sheep were sold last year from Khasi Bazaar, Kalanki only. This year the sales barely made up to 21,000.” 

55,000 goats, he-goats, mountain goats, sheep and bulls, were sold in the previous Dashain in the Kathmandu Valley, In this Dashain, the sales went down to 45,000. 

He said that there was less crowding in the shops that sell meat in this year’s Dashain.

Khatiwada said that due to the economic recession, the trade of goats, he-goats and mountain goats has decreased outside the Kathmandu Valley as well. 

Government goats, he-goats could not be sold 

The goat, he-goat, and mountain goat brought by the government-owned Food Management and Trading Company Limited, Kathmandu, to give concessions to the consumers during Dashain, could not be fully sold either. 

Of the 2,201 goats, he-goats, and mountain goats brought by Food Management and Trading Company Limited, Kathmandu, 1,900 were sold. It has started its sale from Ghatasthapana.

Sharmila Neupane Subedi, Spokesperson at the Food Management and Trading Company Limited, Kathmandu, said that this year 1,659 goats and he-goats and 542 mountain goats were brought to Kathmandu for sale. 

She said that the sales of goats, he-goats and mountain goats from the company have increased this year than the previous year. 

According to her, in the previous year 1,600 goats, he-goats and mountain goats were sold and this year’s sales are 300 more than the previous year. However, to summarize the sales have decreased this year. 

She said, “This year the sales from Food Management and Trading Company Limited have increased, however, the sales have gone down if we take into account the sales from other traders.”

She said that the impact of the current recession is seen in the sales of goats, he-goats, and mountain goats. 

The price of the remaining goats, he-goats and mountain goats have been listed as 600 and 1,160 respectively. Last year it was 650 for goats and he-goats and 1,225 for mountain goats.