The sale of goats and he-goats at the agricultural produce market in Dharan-13, Sunsari, reached Rs 26 crore 25 lakh, roughly Rs 262.5 million, during this year's Bada Dashain, according to market manager Laxman Bhattarai. The total marks an increase of about 15 percent over last year's festival trade, when transactions worth Rs 23 crore were recorded at the same market. As reported by Nagarik News, the rise came as farmers and traders brought goats from the hill districts of Koshi Province for sale, expanding the number of animals available to buyers at the height of the festival season and underscoring the scale of the market's role in the festival livestock economy.
Fifteen Percent Growth Over Last Year
Bhattarai said the market recorded transactions of Rs 26 crore 25 lakh during this Dashain season. By comparison, the market's sales during last year's festival period stood at Rs 23 crore. The gap of more than Rs 30 million represents growth of approximately 15 percent, a significant jump for a market that already turns over a large volume of trade during the festival weeks. Khabarhub reported the same figures, quoting the market manager on the year-on-year rise.
Key Figures at a Glance
- This year's Dashain sales: Rs 26 crore 25 lakh, or more than Rs 260 million
- Last year's Dashain sales: Rs 23 crore
- Growth: approximately 15 percent
- Location: agricultural produce market, Dharan-13, Sunsari
- Supply source: hill districts of Koshi Province
The figures cover the sale of goats and he-goats, the animals most sought after by households preparing for Dashain rituals and festive meals. The 15 percent rise means the market added more than Rs 3 crore to its festival turnover within a single year, lifting the total from Rs 23 crore to Rs 26 crore 25 lakh.
Hill Districts Supply the Festival Market
Demand at the market increased this year as farmers and traders brought goats from the hill districts of Koshi Province for sale, according to Bhattarai. The arrivals from the hills gave buyers a wide range of animals to choose from in the run-up to Vijaya Dashami and helped the market absorb the strong pre-festival rush. Pradesh Khabar also covered the trade, reporting the season's total turnover of Rs 26.25 crore.
The supply pattern highlights the connection between goat rearing in the hill districts and festival consumption in the Tarai. Animals raised in the hills are brought down to markets such as Dharan, where they are purchased for the festival. For the farmers and traders who make that journey with their livestock, Dashain represents one of the most important selling windows of the year, concentrating substantial purchasing power into a short and intense period.
Dashain Demand Drives the Trade
Bada Dashain is the biggest festival in Nepal, and the purchase of goats for rituals and festive feasts is a tradition followed by large numbers of households, making the weeks before Vijaya Dashami the busiest stretch of the year for goat sellers. The Dharan market's turnover of more than Rs 262.5 million this season offers a measure of just how much money moves through a single market when that demand peaks.
The increase over last year indicates that demand for goats around Dharan remained strong even against an already substantial base of Rs 23 crore. It also points to income flowing to the farmers and traders who transported animals from the hill districts of Koshi Province, the group at the centre of this year's expanded trade. With Bhattarai confirming the rise, this Dashain's trade at the Dharan market closes on a positive note, combining double-digit growth with a supply catchment that stretched deep into the hills of the province.
