Goat cheese gains popularity among tourists

By Amar Raj Naharki,Tanahun, June 27: Goat cheese produced by the National Goat Research Programme (NGRP), Bandipur, Tanahun, is loved by both domestic and foreign tourists.

It is highly nutritious and is therefore the choice of tourists, said Buddhi Ram Acharya, Senior Technical Officer and Information Officer of the National Goat Research Programme. 

The NGRP in Bandipur is a nationally recognised hub for goat breeding, research, and innovation, dedicated to improving goat productivity and promoting high-quality dairy products, including goat cheese.

Tourists and tourism entrepreneurs buy cheese directly from the research office, said Acharya.

He said that they have been selling goat cheese worth around Rs. 600,000 annually.

In the current fiscal year alone, a total of 613 kilograms of cheese was sold.

Most of the cheese is sold in Bandipur itself and the tourist town of Pokhara. 

Acharya said, "Cheese made from goat milk is preferred by foreign tourists compared to domestic tourists, so its demand is increasing in Bandipur and Pokhara." 

The programme, which has been conducting research to improve the quality of goats, has been producing cheese from the Saanen breed of goats, famous for their milk. 

The research programme's farm currently has 118 Saanen breed goats, including females, males and kids. 

Saanen is a milk-producing breed of goat which can give up to four litres of milk at a time. 

According to Acharya, the price of goat cheese in the market is Rs. 3,500 to Rs. 4,000 per kilogram. It costs only Rs.  1,000 per kilogram in the research centre.

He said that the demand is higher as it is sold at a lower price than its market price.

After the National Food Research Centre at Khumaltar tested the goat cheese three years ago, it was found to be of good quality. They have started the sale of goat cheese to make it accessible to everyone, he said.

Chief Senior Scientist of the research programme, Raju Kandel, said that most people are interested in the Saanen breed of goats and want to buy them, with a belief that goat milk and cheese have cancer-fighting properties.  

The goat milk is also considered good for cancer patients because it does not contain lactogen and has immune-boosting properties that can fight disease.

Kandel said that the research programme sells goats to leading goat rearing farmers on the recommendation of veterinary hospitals, animal service centres and municipalities. 

The research programme is currently producing 42 litres of milk daily. The milk is processed and cheese is supplied for sale in Pokhara and Kathmandu. 

The office of the research programme said that in 2071 BS, 50 mothers and seven kids were brought from Australia for research and breeding.

According to Kandel, the Saanan is one of the major goat breeds raised for milk.  

This goat is a native of the Saanan Valley in the southern canton of Bern, Switzerland. 

This goat cannot tolerate heat; milk production decreases if the temperature reaches 33 degrees Celsius. 

This goat gives birth to a single kid in its first delivery and twins in the second.

The goat's milk is like nectar to increase platelets for dengue patients. It helps to increase the amount of platelets in the blood and is suitable for individuals with lactose intolerance.