The price of goats, which was brought through Mustang for Dashain, has gone up sharply this year. Two thousand five hundred goats and about two thousand fallow goats have been brought for sale in a land in the name of Nepal Trust in Salaghari. Even though customers have come to buy from Monday, since this morning, there has been a crowd of customers to buy goats.
After the residents of the district and Kathmandu and Kavre came to Bhaktapur to buy livestock, the traders have sold live livestock at Rs 1,200 per kg. According to traders, the price may go up by another 100 rupees from today. This is double the price last year. Last year, traders sold live goats at Rs 750 to Rs 800 per kg, but this year the starting price has been set at Rs 1,200.
Himlal Shrestha, a livestock trader from Ramechhap, said that the price has gone up this year as he had to pay more for a house in Mustang than last year. While selling livestock in Sallaghari Chaur, he said, "The livestock brought from China to Mustang has become expensive this year as Nepali traders have to pay Rs 40,000 per livestock when they buy livestock from Mustang." He said that the meat had to be bought per animal instead of being weighed.
Another trader Ramesh Khadka also said that the price of livestock has gone up to Rs 1,200 per kg. He said that the small goats were bought by the traders for Rs 36,000 each and the big goats for Rs 40,000 each. The price of ready-made meat is Rs 2,600. Stating that the prepared meat of goats were sold at Rs 2,600 in Sallaghari, trader Suman Shahi said that even though the prepared meat was sold at Rs 1,700 last year, it had to be sold at Rs 1,100 per kg this year. After the sale of sheep stopped, the trader informed that he had brought only 50 sheep in Kathmandu Valley and only seven sheep in Bhaktapur this year. Stating that the sheep also cost Rs 35,000 per kg in Mustang, the trader informed that the selling price here is Rs 1,100 per kg.
He says that he has paid Rs. 25,000 tax in different places this year. Rs. 25,000 tax has been paid to Bhaktapur Municipality for taking place in Sallaghari. The traders have complained that the municipality has not provided even a temporary toilet even after paying taxes to the municipality. Livestock businessman Rajaram Shrestha complained that the Bhaktapur Municipality did not even pay Rs 25,000 for a toilet. He said, "Bhaktapur Municipality has taken Rs. 25,000 for the rent of a cowshed. There are more than 20 cowsheds here."
The municipality has complained that the traders were not even given electricity. Stating that they have not even provided temporary electricity after charging the fee, the traders have complained that some of them had to stay in the dark and some of them had to bring emergency lights. The municipality has charged Rs 10,000 from each trader selling ready-made meat.There are 14 temporary meat shops selling ready-made meat in that grassland. Meat trader Kurna Bahadur Shahi said that the lack of electricity and toilets caused an issue for females too.
Goats are being sold at Rs. 657 to 750 per kg in Sallaghari. Goat trader Mangal Shrestha of Sindhupalchowk said that the price of goats varies according to the caste and place. Stating that he has sold 22 kg to 90 kg of goats here, he said that he has not been able to sell all types of goats at Rs. 650 that is set by the government. Ox is being sold at Hanuman Ghat, Bhaktapur and Kamerotar, Thimi. Similarly, goats and fallow deer are being sold in Bhelukhel, Chyamasingh and other places. More than a thousand calves are for sale at Hanuman Ghat and Kamerotar. According to the traders, per ox brought from Ramechhap, western Terai district and from India has been sold at Rs 25,000 to Rs 85,000.
The Newar community of Bhaktapur has a tradition of sacrificial livestock from the guthis of different localities and bringing meat from house to house on the day of Phulpati.
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