Meat Price Hikes Strain Dashain Budgets 

Dashain is Nepal’s largest festival, marked by family get-togethers, religious ceremonies, and a variety of meat dishes. The meat from goats, buffaloes, chickens and chyangra (a breed of Himalayan mountain goats) is highly sought after during the festival, as they are used in meat preparations and animal sacrifices offered to Goddess Durga during religious customs. Meat curry, fried meat (Pakku), and Sekuwa are among the delicacies that mark the Dashain feasts.

Demand for millions of goats, sheep, mountain goats, chickens, ducks, buffaloes and pork rises particularly during Dashain. However, the annual trend of rising meat prices amid increased demand has put additional pressure on consumers' Dashain budgets.

From the wealthy to those dependent on daily wages, people from different economic backgrounds celebrate Dashain with meat dishes. Depending on their financial circumstances, chickens become a more affordable option for those who cannot afford goat meat. Rich people prefer to consume mountain goat, which is comparatively more expensive than mutton and buffalo meat. Despite financial constraints, families eagerly celebrate Dashain by enjoying meat, sometimes even taking out loans to cover expenses.

High consumption

According to the Department of Livestock Services, around 456,000 tonnes of meat are consumed annually in the country. Of this, goat meat accounts for 90,000 tonnes, buffalo meat for 141,650 tonnes, chicken for 182,516 tonnes and pork for 38,000 tonnes.

Around 4.5 million goats are expected to be consumed across the country annually, according to Hari Singh Bhat, a veterinary officer at the Department of Livestock Services.

Although there are no official statistics on the total number of animals and poultry sacrificed during the festival, an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 goats, along with thousands of buffaloes, pigeons and ducks, are sacrificed to appease Goddess Durga and provide meat for festive feasts across the country, he said.

Nearly 22 per cent of the country’s annual goat meat consumption takes place during Dashain alone, according to the estimates. Of the estimated 200,000 goats consumed nationwide during Dashain, around 45,000 goats and chyangras, along with 5,000 buffaloes and large numbers of chickens and ducks, are expected to be consumed in the Kathmandu Valley alone. 

Likewise, around 100,000 kg of fish are consumed in the Kathmandu Valley alone during Dashain. However, demand for livestock in the Valley declined last year compared to the previous year.

A total of 35,848 livestock, including 29,000 goats, 890 sheep, 5,000 chyangras and 652 buffaloes, were supplied to the Valley during Dashain last year.