SATV Kathmandu, Oct. 6: The Food Management and Trading Company (FMTC), the state-owned entity, is all set to sell live goats and mountain goats (Chyangra) for the Dashain festival from Sunday. 

The Company will begin to sell goats from its Thapathali depot from Sunday morning after the goats and chyangras started arriving in Kathmandu from Saturday, said Bhim Thapa, Provincial Chief of FMTC, Thapathali.

About 200 goats and 300 chyangras arrived in Kathmandu by Saturday evening while more goats will come gradually on Sunday and Monday, he said. The FMCT has planned to sell around 1,400 goats, bringing them from Hetauda, Nawalpur and Dang. 

Similarly, the FMTC has brought chyangras from Mustang this year. It has a plan to sell 300 mountain goats this year. He said that the Company has fixed the selling price with a discount of Rs. 10 per kilogram and a live goat will be available at a rate of Rs. 660 per kilogram.

Similarly, consumers can buy a live chyangra at a rate of Rs. 1,230 per kg with discount of Rs.10 per kg. The price fixed by the FMTC is cheaper by Rs. 10 per kg in goat and Rs. 30 per kg in chyangra this year compared to last year.

Last year, the FMTC sold live goats at Rs. 670 per kilogram and mountain goats at Rs. 1,250 per kg with a Rs. 10 discount per kg. He said that the FMTC has purchased chyangras from Mustang this year after it was unable to sell mountain goats brought from Rasuwa last year.

Last year, FMTC was not able to sell the mountain goats brought from Rasuwa after rumours spread that they were selling goats in the name of mountain goats. The FMTC reduced the price by Rs. 100 per kg and they were sold to a single company.

According to Thapa, the rate of goats and chyangras was lower this year than last year due to reduced purchased price in the concerned districts.

He said that they fixed the selling price of goats and mountain goats considering the purchasing price and transportation cost adding very nominal profit margin.

Thapa said that the price fixed by the company was comparatively cheaper than the price of goats being sold by the private traders.

He claimed that a live goat is being traded at a minimum of Rs. 680 per kg and chyangra at Rs. 1,300 per kg in the market of Kathmandu Valley.

“The company will sell very small number of animals compared to their demand. Our objective is to control the artificial price of traders," he said. 

Stating that it is the responsibility of the FMTC to sell quality and healthy goats to the consumers, he assured that the FMTC's goats would be healthy.