Eat Healthy & Celebrate

Nepalis are now in the midst of their greatest festival, Dashain. They are eager to celebrate Vijaya Dashami, the main part of the festival, when elders put tika on the foreheads of loved ones with blessing. Dashain is a moment of social and cultural reunion that brings family members, relatives and friends together for fun and sharing light moment. But it is also an occasion that gives momentum to the national economy.

The people go on shopping spree, spending their large chunk of savings on clothes, food, meat, drinks and gifts. It boosts the economies of both towns and villages. Business people have said that there is the transaction of clothes worth Rs. 10 billion alone while millions of rupees are spent on food, meat, fish and beverage items during the Dashain and Tihar.

A news report, published in this daily on Sunday, states that around 2.5 million he-goats are expected to be sacrificed to Goddess Durga on the day of Asthami in addition to thousands of buffaloes, pigs and chickens in Dashain. The people consume their meat throughout the festival. 

Meat is a major delicacy in Dashain. People do not imagine Dashain without chomping spicy meat though there is also sizable number of vegetarians. Goats, chickens and ducks have become a common sight in the streets of the capital. The country has been importing very nominal numbers of goats and buffaloes from India and mountain goats from Tibet. With the threat of COVID-19 pandemic largely subsiding, people are not hesitating in splurging on goats and birds for meat.

Dashain pushes the demand of livestock, which also benefits the local economy. Authorities have said that the domestic market is now able to meet the rising demand of meat and the country should no longer import goats from Tibet and India now. Self-reliance in meat and meat-related items is a positive sign for the national economy that is facing recession due to the external factors. 

No doubt, mutton is expensive but it is also delicious and thus popular among the consumers. Around 5 million goats are slaughtered annually and 60 per cent of them are consumed during Dashain and Tihar. The Department of Livestock Services estimates the total population of goats in Nepal at 13.4 million.

The annual meat consumption increases by 2 to 5 per cent and this will further go up during the Dashain. The consumption of domestic goats is beneficial to local farmers, traders and consumers. The farmers should be encouraged and incentivised to raise more goats so as to reduce meat price and increase their own income. This is also necessary to overcome the short-supply of mountain goats. 

Although the import of goats has declined remarkably in the last few years with improved local production and supply, and tightened the quarantine checking, their illegal import from open Nepal-India border continues to affect the local farmers. They expect to make good profit from the selling of goats during Dashain but the illegally brought goats deprive them of getting reasonable price of their animals. Last year, they were forced to return goats from Kathmandu owing to this reason.

It has become imperative to systematise the goat market. The government should fix a certain place to sell goats, regulate and monitor their prices, thereby bringing to an end the chaotic market situation. As meat is full of proteins, consumers have to remain health conscious and go for balanced diets that also include ample amounts of fruits and vegetables. We wish everybody a very happy Dashain along with healthy eating and joyous celebrations.