According to the statistics of the ministry, milk demand reaches 147,000 litre daily on average during Dashain including other festivals. To ensure availability of milk during Dashain, the collection and processing of milk have been increased and an additional 19,000 litre of milk is being imported from Patna, India by Dairy Development Corporation, said the ministry. The quantity will be increased accordingly if demand increases to prevent any shortage, said an official.

Sanjeev Jha, chief of the market management department of the corporation said that customers will be able to purchase dairy-related products from their counters located all over Kathmandu and will be open on Bijaya Dashami as well.

There is a demand of 140,000 litre of milk on average daily in the Valley, the report states. Currently, 123,200 litre milk is being supplied daily where the corporation is supplying 88,000 litre and 35,200 litre by private dairy companies.

Similarly, the demand for yogurt increases to 10,000 litres daily on average during Dashain including other festivals. The corporation and private dairy companies said that they can fulfill the demand for processed yogurt. The corporation has already started transforming 25,000-30,000 litre raw milk to powdered milk daily.

There is no problem in the supply of paneer with 900kg being supplied on a daily basis. The demand for paneer stands at 840kg per day. The dairy corporation is producing 600 kg and other private dairy companies have been producing 300 kg paneer daily.

Likewise, there is a demand for 1,400 kg of ghee on average in the Valley. Currently, 1,800 kg is being supplied — 800 kg from the corporation and 900 kg from private companies.

The corporation and other private companies have sufficient stock of ghee to fulfill ghee demand during Dashain, said the corporation. The corporation targeting for Dashain has made a work plan to sell 132,000 litre of ghee to ensure sufficient supply in the market, according to the report.

Likewise, Kathmandu consumes 2.4 million eggs daily and receives 4 million eggs daily.

The government plans to conduct regular market inspections to ensure efficient supply and quality of dairy products. The quality test on dairy products is being done in the Valley and other major cities.

Department of Commerce, Supply and Consumer Protection Management have also started high-level inspections which will continue during Dashain to prevent unnecessary price hikes on dairy products, said the department.