Dashain is Nepal’s largest festival, marked by family get-togethers, religious ceremonies, and a variety of meat dishes. The meat from goats, buffaloes, chickens and chyangra (a breed of Himalayan mountain goats) is highly sought after during the festival, as they are used in meat preparations and animal sacrifices offered to Goddess Durga during religious customs. Meat curry, fried meat (Pakku), and Sekuwa are among the delicacies that mark the Dashain feasts.
Demand for millions of goats, sheep, mountain goats, chickens, ducks, buffaloes and pork rises particularly during Dashain. However, the annual trend of rising meat prices amid increased demand has put additional pressure on consumers' Dashain budgets.
From the wealthy to those dependent on daily wages, people from different economic backgrounds celebrate Dashain with meat dishes. Depending on their financial circumstances, chickens become a more affordable option for those who cannot afford goat meat. Rich people prefer to consume mountain goat, which is comparatively more expensive than mutton and buffalo meat. Despite financial constraints, families eagerly celebrate Dashain by enjoying meat, sometimes even taking out loans to cover expenses.
High consumption
According to the Department of Livestock Services, around 456,000 tonnes of meat are consumed annually in the country. Of this, goat meat accounts for 90,000 tonnes, buffalo meat for 141,650 tonnes, chicken for 182,516 tonnes and pork for 38,000 tonnes.
Around 4.5 million goats are expected to be consumed across the country annually, according to Hari Singh Bhat, a veterinary officer at the Department of Livestock Services.
Although there are no official statistics on the total number of animals and poultry sacrificed during the festival, an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 goats, along with thousands of buffaloes, pigeons and ducks, are sacrificed to appease Goddess Durga and provide meat for festive feasts across the country, he said.
Nearly 22 per cent of the country’s annual goat meat consumption takes place during Dashain alone, according to the estimates. Of the estimated 200,000 goats consumed nationwide during Dashain, around 45,000 goats and chyangras, along with 5,000 buffaloes and large numbers of chickens and ducks, are expected to be consumed in the Kathmandu Valley alone.
Likewise, around 100,000 kg of fish are consumed in the Kathmandu Valley alone during Dashain. However, demand for livestock in the Valley declined last year compared to the previous year.
A total of 35,848 livestock, including 29,000 goats, 890 sheep, 5,000 chyangras and 652 buffaloes, were supplied to the Valley during Dashain last year.
In 2024, however, around 48,300 livestock entered the Kathmandu Valley during the festival. Of them, approximately 38,500 were goats, 600 were sheep, 3,126 were chyangras and 1,178 were buffaloes.
Price increases and supply disruptions caused by landslides in various parts of the country also affected livestock supplies last year.
Locally produced goats have been sufficient to meet domestic demand over the past few years. In the past, traders used to import goats from India because of difficulties in collecting them from villages across the country. In recent years, however, traders have been sourcing goats from various districts within the country due to stricter quarantine requirements.
Goats sold in the Valley are brought from Itahari, Kohalpur, Nepalgunj, Dang, Salyan, Morang, Surkhet, Udayapur, Kavrepalanchowk, Dhading, Makwanpur and Nuwakot, among other districts. Mountain goats are supplied from mountainous districts, including Manang, Mustang and Dolpa.
Increasing price
This year, goat meat prices have increased ahead of Dashain. Demand and supply are among the major factors driving the rise in prices. As a large number of consumers enter the market at the same time during Dashain, demand for goats and sheep surges, pushing prices up.
Traders say goat meat is currently selling for up to Rs. 1,800 per kilogram in the market, compared with around Rs. 1,500 per kilogram during Dashain last year. The Rs. 300 increase per kilogram means consumers have to spend more to enjoy meat during the festival.
Goat meat prices, which began rising in Asar amid concerns over bird flu, have increased further with the onset of the Dashain season.
According to traders, the price of live goats has also increased. Live goats are currently selling for around Rs. 800 to Rs. 900 per kilogram, up from Rs. 650 to Rs. 720 per kilogram last year. The rise in live goat prices has directly pushed up retail meat prices. Meat prices could reach Rs. 2,000 per kilogram from Phulpati onwards as demand increases. This would be the highest price ever recorded in the Kathmandu Valley. The price of live chyangra has remained almost unchanged from last year. A live chyangra is currently selling for Rs. 1,250 to Rs. 1,350 per kilogram in the Kathmandu Valley, depending on its weight.
There is a risk of further price increment as traders take advantage of high seasonal demand. Consumers need protection from unreasonable price hikes. Government authorities should examine whether the difference between the cost of purchasing live animals and the retail price of meat is justified. Regular market monitoring is necessary to prevent traders from exploiting seasonal demand to raise prices excessively. Effective monitoring should also promote price transparency and enable authorities to take action against unfair trading practices.
FMTC skips sales
The absence of the state-owned Food Management and Trading Company (FMTC) from the livestock market has added to consumers' concerns this year. The FMTC, which had been selling goats and chyangra in the Kathmandu Valley for several years, has not sold them for the second consecutive year.
The company did not sell goats during last year's Dashain because of the Gen Z movement. This year, floods and landslides have made it difficult to collect goats from villages, prompting the company to stay out of the market again.
In previous years, the FMTC brought goats from different parts of the country and sold them in Kathmandu as part of the government's efforts to discourage artificial price hikes during the festival.
The prices set by the company also served as a benchmark for consumers negotiating with private traders. Its absence has therefore raised concerns that buyers may have fewer options for purchasing meat at relatively affordable prices. Consumers fear that private traders could charge higher prices without competition from the state-owned company. The FMTC's absence also removes one of the government's practical mechanisms for influencing market prices during the period of high demand.
Choose healthy
Alongside price concerns, the Department of Livestock Services has intensified health inspections of goats, chyangra, sheep and buffaloes entering the Kathmandu Valley to ensure safe meat consumption during Dashain.
The department has mobilised teams of veterinarians and technical personnel at designated entry points, livestock markets and collection centres to examine animals and prevent the sale of diseased livestock during the festival. The inspection teams are checking for external signs of disease, monitoring heartbeats and collecting blood samples to assess the animals' health. Healthy goats are marked with green labels on their horns, while those found to be unhealthy are marked in red. The colour-coded system aims to help consumers identify healthy livestock and make informed purchasing decisions. Consumers have therefore been advised to check the markings on goats' horns before purchasing them and avoid those bearing red marks.
(Kafle is a journalist at The Rising Nepal.)
How did you feel after reading this news?