Sales of mountain goats this Dashain decline due to high price

October 20, 2020, 04:19:11 PM |

KATHMANDU: The price of mountain goats, popularly known as Chyangra, has seen a significant increase this Dashain due to which sales of mountain goats have declined.

The price of the mountain goats has gone up this Dashain as there has been no import from China this year. And only 10,000 mountain goats have been made available from Mustang.

Meat of the mountain goat is preferred by a lot of people during the Dashain festival. However, due to the high cost this year it has become unaffordable for many. Krishna Khadka, a meat trader from Baglung Bazaar, said that the price of one kg of mountain goat meat is almost double the price of a kg of goat meat and that’s why customers are refraining from buying mountain goats.

The mountain goats in Baglung have been brought from Mustang. Since traders from Mustang were not able to import mountain goats from Tibet this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, they have brought only those available in Mustang which has created a shortage.

Amar Bahadur Chhetri, a trader based in Baglung, has been bringing the goats from Mustang for the past five years. He said that the trade of mountain goats has declined this year due to the high price. Chhetri added that he used to bring more than 100 mountain goats in previous years but this year he brought only 75 goats from Mustang due to the high cost.

“This year, there are only a few mountain goats available,” he said, adding, “Meanwhile I have been able to sell only 12 mountain goats in four days as customers are shocked after they learn about the price. I think it will be difficult to sell the remaining goats.”

Since the price of a mountain goat is somewhere close to buying two to three he-goats, customers have started seeking for alternatives of local meat source like sheep and he-goats.

Laxman Khadka, another trader from Baglung who also brought 75 mountain goats, said that the trade of mountain goats has declined this year as the price has gone up by about Rs 6,000 per unit as compared to last year.

At present, the price of a mountain goat in Baglung Bazaar is over Rs 35,000.

Similarly, Puran Subedi, a trader from Myagdi who brought 150 mountain goats, complained that profit from the trade of mountain goats has also decreased along with the volume of trade. He mentioned that bringing the mountain goats is also difficult and there are chances that they could get lost on the way or at times even die.

He further said that they are at loss also because of the low weight of the goats owing to the improper cattle grazing tradition. Subedi added that the price of mountain goat meat stands at Rs 1,800 per kg.

Yam Bahadur Chhetri, a consumer from Baglung Bazaar, said that he recently bought a mountain goat for Rs 35,000. RSS

Fiscal Nepal |

Tuesday October 20, 2020, 04:19:11 PM |