Live goat marketing for meat purpose in Nepal

Live goat marketing for meat is largely a traditional business and it operates mostly informally. There are different models in practice. In rural areas, where consumers have direct contact with the producer farmers, there is no involvement of middleman. In the district market centers (primary markets) and road side markets, the village traders and or butchers/ vendors are involved between consumers and the producer farmers. But in major markets like Kathmandu, Pokhara (terminal markets), many different supply models operates involving different market functionaries. Nepal Food Corporation, a subsidiary of the government sells some goats particularly during the major festival of Dashain. The different supply chain and functionaries involved are presented in the figure below.

The Goat sub-sector analysis study of DVN [Development Vision ], revealed that the number of secondary level traders/ middlemen and wholesalers engaged in goat business varied considerably across the market centers like Pokhara, Damauli, Hetauda and Kathmandu. The number ranged between 20 in Damouli to 575 in Kathmandu indicating that bigger the volume traded, larger their numbers. In Kathmandu, there are about 80 traders who are doing the goat trading as sole business.