Farmer Struggles with Goat Farming Amidst Rising Costs and Market Instability

Kathmandu. The grassy and green hills and slopes of Pharping spend their days with herds of goats every day. Khari Dai has been a goat herder for the last 10 years, and his every day starts with this herd. Commercial goat farming, which he started a decade ago with great hope, has now become synonymous with struggle for him. He used to raise about a hundred goats, but now he raises about two dozen goats.

"It is now difficult to even cover the costs. The only benefit I get from raising them is the goat manure, nothing else. I did everything with my own investment. It has become very difficult now," he says.

Now, for him, goat farming costs more than it earns. He complains that the continuous rise in the prices of animal feed, corn flour, and other materials has hit him hard, saying, "There is no price for goats in the market. It has become impossible to sustain goat farming."

He alleges that although the state has announced support for farmers, it has not reached the actual farmers. "Even if there is talk of grants coming, they only go to those who have access and their own people. Farmers like us get nothing," says Khari Dai.

Market instability has further increased his pain. He recounts that he had to sell a goat, which he raised with the hope of getting a good price at one time, at a loss. "A goat that was said to be worth up to two hundred thousand rupees had to be sold at a loss in the end," he says.

The story of this shepherd from Pharping is not just the story of one person. It is the common reality of thousands of small livestock farmers in Nepal, who are becoming discouraged due to rising costs, weak markets, and inadequate government support, despite their hard work and investment.

There is still a glimmer of hope in the life of this shepherd who roams the hills with his herd of goats. However, he says that effective government support, easy market access, and a transparent subsidy system are necessary to keep farmers like him afloat.