The Dashain shopping rush is building, with markets filling up as families prepare for Nepal’s biggest festival. For livestock traders, this is usually one of the busiest times of the year, when demand for goats and Himalayan goats, known as chyangra, from the high hills and mountains surges. But in Chitwan, sales have fallen short of traders’ expectations, dampening hopes for a brisk festival season.

At the Aaptari livestock market in Narayangadh, traders who brought animals from Jumla and other districts are concerned about the slow pace of sales. Around 60 goats and chyangra were sold on Wednesday, compared with more than 100 on a typical day, according to Raju Adhikari, acting chair of the Ganesh Tole Development Committee, which manages the market.

Adhikari suspects recent disasters, including the Bhotekoshi floods, have made people more cautious about spending freely on Dashain celebrations. The slower business has left traders uncertain about how the rest of the festival season will unfold.

Resham Karki travelled from Jumla with four friends, bringing 205 chyangra for sale. The group arrived in Chitwan on the third day after loading the animals onto a truck in Jumla.

Their plans reflect how traders are trying to find the strongest market for their livestock. Two years ago, they took their animals to Pokhara. Last year, they started there before bringing some to Chitwan. This time, they headed straight to Chitwan, while Karki has sent a friend to Pokhara to check how sales are going there.

“We raised 25 of the chyangra ourselves and bought the rest from different villages in Jumla,” Karki said.

Traders say live chyangra are selling for more than Rs1,000 per kilogram. But the price has not eased their concerns about whether enough buyers will turn up.

Krishna Bahadur Sinjali, who has been bringing chyangra from Jumla to Narayangadh for five years, said business had become more difficult as more traders entered the market.

“Few traders used to bring chyangra here, but more are entering the market now, making competition tougher,” he said.

The market’s formal opening took place on Thursday, although traders began bringing animals and selling them a day earlier. For the past four years, the market has operated at Aaptari, on the outskirts of Narayangadh beside Diyalo Bungalow. Previously, traders sold livestock at busy intersections across the city.

The market attracts chyangra from Jumla and other districts farther west. Goats also arrive from Gorkha, Lamjung and Tanahun, while farmers from Chitwan bring their own animals for sale.

Buyers inspect the livestock and negotiate prices directly with traders. Live goats are selling for Rs700 to Rs750 per kilogram, at least Rs50 more per kilogram than last year, according to traders.

The Ganesh Tole Development Committee charges Rs100 for each animal sold to cover market management costs, Adhikari said.