Myagdi. Four farmers, including Sanjay BK, who had set out from Mugu to sell sheep and mountain goats for the Dashain festival, reached Galeshwor of Myagdi on Friday evening after a 36-day arduous journey.

Adverse weather, snowfall and road blockage made their journey very difficult. They are worried that they will not be able to sell on time even after reaching the market after a long journey.

A team of BK from Chhayanath Rara Municipality-6 in Mugu had chased and brought 200 sheep and mountain goats. One hundred of them were reared in their own house and one hundred were bought from their neighbors. They left home on September 1 with the intention of selling them in Pokhara for Dashain.

“This time, we faced a lot of hardship due to bad weather and the obstruction of the Beni-Jomsom road connecting Mustang,” BK said, adding, “We stopped for a week after snowfall in Chharka of Dolpa.” We reached Galeshwor only after 36 days of leaving home. ”

They plan to take the sheep and mountain goats from Galeshwor to Pokhara in a vehicle on Saturday. However, as Dashain is approaching, they are worried about the demand and sales in the market. “It is too late. Now we are worried about whether we will be able to sell them in the market or not,” BK said.

Seven farmers including Man Prasad Rokaya of Kaike Rural Municipality-2 of Dolpa also went to Pokhara with 700 sheep and mountain goats. They had gone to Pokhara of Kaski via Ghodepani of Myagdi on Friday.

It has been 22 days since Rokaya’s team left home. Since sheep and mountain goat farming is the main occupation, they go to different markets every year for sale. But this time, floods and landslides have made the journey more difficult.

The Myagdi section of the Beni-Jomsom road was blocked due to floods and landslides triggered by rains from September 24 to 11. This affected both the chasing and transporting of sheep and mountain goats. Some farmers had to walk long distances. Due to the condition of the road, there was a delay in reaching the market.

Sanjay Budha of Kaike Rural Municipality-2 of Dolpa, Sahartara, is also on his way to Pokhara to sell 160 mountain goats after walking for 25 days. It is not easy to chase away the mountain goats that are reared above 4,000 meters above sea level.

“It has been our traditional occupation to take mountain goats to the market through cliffs, streams and narrow roads,” he said.

Farmers suffer due to road blockage

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With the Dashain festival approaching, the sheep and mountain goats of the mountainous region have started to fall in the market. However, due to adverse weather and road obstruction, farmers and traders are facing problems this time. Farmers and traders who have brought sheep and mountain goats from Dolpa, Jumla and Upper Mustang are busy from Jomsom to Beni.

The sheep and mountain goats brought from Mustang to Galeshwor via Beni-Jomsom road are being transported in trucks and containers to Pokhara, Kathmandu and other cities. However, Chief of Agriculture and Livestock Development Office, Mustang, Lalmani Aryal, said that the sheep and mountain goats have not been brought to the market due to snowfall on the road from Dolpa.

Due to the closure of Tatopani and Rasuwa border points, Mustang has become the main route for the supply of sheep and mountain goats to big cities this time. Arrangements have been made to allow the export of sheep and mountain goats after health check-up in Jomsom.

According to Aryal, so far 10,000 sheep and mountain goats have been given export permission after health check-up. Last year, 18,000 sheep and mountain goats were exported.

Due to the long journey, the expenses of farmers and traders have increased. Traders say that it is difficult to contact the farmers due to the disruption of road, electricity and communication services in Mustang. Dek Bahadur Chokhal of Beni Municipality-9 said that the purchase of sheep and mountain goats has been affected due to the disruption of road, electricity and communication services in Mustang since the second week of September.

“We could not bring sheep and mountain goats as we could not contact the farmers,” he said. In Mustang, according to the size, the price of sheep is Rs. 32,000 to Rs. 35,000 and the mountain goats are being sold at Rs. According to traders, the price of sheep is around Rs. 40,000. In Beni, the price of sheep is around Rs. 36,000 and the mountain goats are Rs. 45,000, said Yam Bahadur Baniya of Toripani in Beni Municipality-9.

“Mountain goats up to the age of five years are considered suitable for meat,” he said, adding, “Although it is expensive, it is customary to eat the meat of mountain goats grazed in the herb-rich bookies in the Himalayan region during Dashain.” Pokhara and Kathmandu are the big markets for Mustang sheep and mountain goats. According to Prem Chhantyal, a goat trader of Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality-7, there is also a demand for it in Myagdi, Baglung, Parbat, Syangja, Tanahun and Lamjung.

Mountain farmers dependent on mountain goat farming

Tenzing Gurung, a farmer from Namgyal in Mustang, said that mountain goat farming is the main source of income. About 50,000 mountain goats are reared in Waragung Mukti Kshetra, Gharpajhong, Loghekar Damodar Kunda and Lomanthang rural municipalities of Mustang. The main source of income for the farmers of Upper Mustang is mountain goat farming. The bark from the body of the mountain goats is used as a raw material for pashmina.

However, there are many challenges in mountain goat farming. It is difficult for the farmers to protect the animals from the attack of snow leopards and wolves. Due to lack of snow, there is a problem of less grass growing in the Lekali region and lack of food. Even when there is excessive snowfall in winter, sheep and goats die due to lack of food.

Farmers chase sheep and mountain goats from the mountains in the hope of earning income for the whole year from the Dashain market. However, this time, due to adverse weather and road blockades, their journey has been extended. Long-distance walking, additional expenses and delays in sales have increased the concern that the income of the farmers will be affected.