Following the ban on import of meat products, Damphu town in Tsirang is facing a shortage of meat supply. Meat shops are mostly closed and only meat products like beef are available occasionally.
However, customers in Damphu feel that the shortage is unusual since Tsirang has many poultry, piggery and fish farms and there should not be a shortage in supply of meat especially in Damphu.
Meat shop owners said that the meat shortage is due to the import ban and local farms supplying meat directly to larger towns.
Gelong Santury, owner of Mama Meat Shop said that local farms are supplying meat to Thimphu, Paro, Punakha, and other nearby districts because of higher price offered in those districts.
He added that local farms are not willing to supply meat at existing rates because of which there is a shortage. “The approved counter rate for pork is Nu. 240 per kilogram but the farms are asking for Nu.250 per kilogram.”
An official from the Livestock Sector in Tsirang said that local meat production has not been affected in the district, however, following the meat ban from India, piggery farms and poultry farmers prefer supplying to Thimphu, Paro and other nearby districts due to the price variation.
According to some sources, meat vendors from Thimphu and nearby districts are visiting villages in the district to buy meat on bulk, paying higher price than the market price in Tsirang.
Currently, there are five meat shops in Damphu town and one near Damphu Central School catering to over 20,000 people in the district.
Pema Tshewang
