October 10: The state-owned Food Management and Trading Company (FMTC) Limited has sold goats worth more than Rs 10 million on the first day of sale for the Dashain festival. With the aim of selling 2,000 goats in Dashain, the company has started selling goats at affordable prices from its office in Kathmandu from Saturday. 

The company sold 625 goats worth Rs 16.4 million on the first day of sale on Saturday. The market price of goats has been fixed at Rs 650 per kg this year. The company is selling goats at Rs 640 per kg with a discount of Rs 10. 

Sharmila Neupane Subedi, information officer of the company, told New Business Age that the company had imported 730 goats in the first phase till Friday and another 329 goats on Saturday.   

According to her, the company has sold goats at a discounted rate to control the unnatural price hike during the festive season and to provide convenience to the consumers. Considering the risk of Covid-19 pandemic, the company has managed the customers coming to buy goats through token system. A large crowd of consumers had gathered at the sales hall in Thapathali to buy goats sold by the company on Saturday. 

The company has so far sold about 600 quintals of food from the fair price shops in the Kathmandu Valley. The company is selling pulses, rice, beans, sugar, ghee and other food items from the fair price shops opened at different places especially for the festivals.