Goat prices: Kapilvastu farmers miss expected rates, Morang caps mutton price

As Dashain approaches, farmers in Kapilvastu have complained of not getting the expected price for their goats, while in Morang the administration has set a maximum price for mutton.

At the Chandrauta livestock market in Kapilvastu, plenty of goats have arrived for sale, but buyers are few. Farmers who raised animals all year to cover festival expenses by selling them are disappointed this time.

Local farmer Chitra Bahadur Shripali said that on Tuesday he had to sell a goat for about Rs 11,000 for which he had asked Rs 17,000. Irfan Khan of Shivaraj Municipality-4, Chanai, complained that he is not getting a price in line with his production costs.

With tighter security along the open Nepal-India border, the illegal inflow of goats has also declined.

Meanwhile, the District Administration Office, Morang, issued a notice on Friday stating that mutton cannot be sold for more than Rs 1,200 per kg. The administration intervened after traders in Biratnagar, who had been selling mutton at around Rs 1,300 per kg, raised the price to about Rs 1,400 per kg from Tuesday.

The administration has warned of action against anyone found charging more than the set price. Chief District Officer Yuvaraj Katel said the price cap was necessary after complaints about an unusual price hike.