A meeting of Cattle Traders Service Association -- an organization of traders of goats, mountain goats and sheep in the capital -- held on Friday directed all its members not to import goats until Thursday.
“We have completely barred our members from importing goats in the capital until Thursday to adjust the supply situation and give relief to traders that suffered huge losses during Dashain due to drop in prices of goats,” Krishna Khadgi, treasurer of the association, told myrepublica.com. Khadgi also said the association also decided to slap a fine of Rs 50,000 on buyers and association members who defy the decision. “We have already slapped a fine on one of our members who brought 100 goats in the capital defying our decision.”
Traders said a total of 50,000 to 60,000 goats, mountain goats and sheep were brought in the capital for the Dashain festival, which was almost double the existing demand.
“We have to sell goats suffering losses of at least Rs 50 kg due to supplies far higher than our market size,” said Bishnu Bidari, a goat trader at Tukucha market. Bidari also said traders had purchased live goats at Rs 250 per kg before Dashain which are now selling at Rs 180-190 due to low demand in the capital. “We couldn´t sell more than 50 percent of goats that we had bought. We have returned 15 percent of goats to our suppliers,” he added.
With the restriction in supply of goats in the capital for the last two or three days, price of live goat has improved to Rs 230 per kg.
“There might be shortage of goats as the existing stock in the capital´s market is somewhere around 3,000 to 4,000 heads,” Bidari informed.
Consumer rights activists have described the imposition of restriction on goat imports by the association to its members as against the spirit of open competition. “Such practice is a sheer violation of Competition and Market Protection Act 2006 and Black Marketing and Public Offense and Punishment Act 1975,” said Ram Chandra Shimkhada, the secretary of Consumers Rights Protection Forum. “It is nothing short of cartelling and a challenge to the government.”
Traders in the capital import goats from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in India, which account to more than 90 percent of goat supplies to Nepal.
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