KATHMANDU, Sept 30: Higher supplies coupled with shortage of cash in banks´ outlets pushed down the price of goats in the capital during Dashain festival, traders say.
According to Rameshwar Baniya, a goat trader at Bagbazaar, price of live goats has dropped to Rs 200 per kg in recent days from Rs 250 per kg before Fulpati -- the seventh day of 10-day Dashain festival, during which a large volume of meat, mainly mutton, chicken, buff and fish is consumed.
“Number of customers also dropped by at least 50 percent as compared to the arrivals of goats in the capital this year,” said Baniya, adding that the number of customers was far below the traders´ expectations.
With early departure of migrants, which make up almost half of four million people residing in the capital, the sale of goats was not as per the expectations, Baniya said. He said traders had purchased live goats at Rs 235 to Rs 240 per kg from local collectors in the hope that they would earn handsome profit during this festive season.
However, some traders in the capital are selling mutton at Rs 500 per kg, saying that they had purchased live goats at Rs 255 per kg before Fulpati. “We will reduce the price of mutton to Rs 450 per kg once we sell all goats in our stock,” said a mutton trader.
Acute shortage of cash in bank also discouraged consumers to buy goats for Dashain.
Baniya estimates that arrivals of goats in the capital increased by at least 50 percent from India as well as from different districts, including Dhading, Kavre, Makwanpur, Lalitpur, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchowk, Lahan, Dang and Nepalgunj.
Due to lack of proper managed goat market in the capital, goats are being sold in open-air markets in Bagbazaar, Brikutimandap, Bijulibazaar and Kalanki.
Nepal Food Corporation -- the state-owned food supplier -- had fixed price of live goats in the range of Rs 240 to Rs 240 per kg. Goats weighing up to 20 kg had been priced at Rs 240 per kg, while prices of goats weighing 20-25 kg and more than 25 kg were fixed at Rs 245 and Rs 250 per kg respectively.
“We had hoped that we would be able to sell goats at rate fixed by the government. But the decline in price threw cold waters on our hopes,” said Baniya.
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