Mustang makes 650 million rupees by selling sheep and goat

By Hari Krishna Sharma, Mustang, Sept.25: Mustang has made Rs 360 million by selling sheep and mountain goats (Chyangra).

A turnover of around Rs 365 million has been generated from sheep raised by farmers within the district, including Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality, Lomanthang Rural Municipality, Varagung Muktichhetra Rural Municipality, and brought from Dolpa, Mugu, and Humla districts of Karnali Province.

According to the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service Expert Center, Mustang, farmers of Mustang have sold 675 sheep and 7,201 Chyangra this year. 

"Similarly, 500 sheep have left Mugu, 775 from Jumla, 550 from the Korala border crossing via Tibet, and 5,900 sheep and Chyangra from the Dolpa district have been taken out of the Mustang district," said Dr. Lalmani Aryal, head of the center.

Center Chief Dr. Aryal says, "Sheep and Chyangra for this  Dashain have already been exported. Mustang farmers have earned a good income by selling it from their own sheds and on their own."

According to Aryal, all sheep and Chyangra have been exported through Ghasa, the border of Thasang Rural Municipality.

Farmers in Mustang have sold Rojja, Roma, and small and large sheep at a rate of 28,000 to 40,000 per head, depending on their age and weight. 

At an average price, sheep worth more than 360 million rupees have been sold, said Dr. Aryal, head of the center.

Rs 10 million more has been made this year by selling sheep and goats compared to last year. 

Sheep farmers from Mustang and traders from various districts of the country, including neighboring districts of Myagdi, Kaski, and Kathmandu, have taken it to the market.

Middlemen who go to Mustang to buy sheep hide the real price they paid to farmers, and sell it for more.

It is found that Rojja sheep are sold in the market for more than 40,000 rupees.

Angyal Gurung, a farmer from Chhoser, Lomanthang Rural Municipality-1, Upper Mustang, said that he has sold sheep meat worth more than 15 million rupees this year.

Farmer Gurung said, "Hard work pays off and we make good money out of the deal. However, farmers who raise mountain goats are being harmed by traders who charge arbitrary prices."

Typically, a sheep must be raised for 3 to 5 years to produce edible meat, which includes grazing, vaccinations, and other expenses.