Mustang sells 4,000 mountain goats worth Rs 130 million

MYAGDI, NOVEMBER 2: For this year’s Tihar festival, 4,000 mountain goats have been sold from Mustang. Since the start of the Nepali month of Kartik, they numbering 4,040  have been transported to markets in Myagdi, Baglung, Pokhara, and Kathmandu, as reported by the Veterinary Hospital and Animal Services Center.

The center’s chief, Lal Mani Aryal, mentioned that around 8,000 mountain goats were sold for the Dashain festival this year. Only the healthy animals, certified through health checks by veterinarians, are sent to market.

For both Dashain and Tihar festivals, mountain goats raised by local farmers, along with those brought from Dolpa and Mugu through Mustang’s routes, are sold in the markets. “With increased supply and lower prices, the goat sales have been higher this Dashain and Tihar compared to previous years,” said Chief Aryal. “Farmers are selling each mountain goat based on weight, with prices ranging from Rs 28,000 to Rs Rs 37,000 per goat.”

The meat of mountain goats that graze on herb-rich pastures is considered highly nutritious, strengthening, and healthy. Generally, the animals that are at least three years old are sold for meat. Last year, traders purchased each goat directly from farmers for over Rs 40,000, but this year, they’ve bought them for around the maximum of Rs 33,000 each.

In Kathmandu and Pokhara, the prices of mountain goats went up to Rs 55,000 per goat last year, while this year, they're being sold for under Rs 45,000. Due to last year’s high prices, many goats remained unsold, resulting in losses for traders.