After 20 Years in UAE, Himal Bahadur Chhantyal Starts Profitable Sheep Farming Business
Himal Bahadur Chhantyal from Malkwang, Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality-5, Myagdi, has returned to his birthplace after 20 years abroad and embarked on sheep farming. With an investment of around one crore rupees, Himal has established the Malkwang Sheep Farming Farm and employed three local workers. The Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality promotes sheep farming by providing shelter construction and free vaccination, although challenges such as limited grazing land and wildlife attacks have impacted this venture.
Fifty-year-old Himal Bahadur Chhantyal spent two decades overseas seeking new opportunities and employment. He abandoned the comfortable city life to return to his remote and rugged village of Malkwang, where he engaged in sheep and goat farming, venturing into forested areas near his home. “With the money I earned working for 20 years in the UAE, I could have lived a luxurious life with my family in Pokhara,” he said, “but I wanted to do something in my birthplace, so I returned and began sheep farming professionally.”
Utilizing his overseas experience and capital, Himal operates the ‘Malkwang Sheep Farming Farm’ in his hometown, while his family and relatives reside in Pokhara. He manages approximately 600 sheep, grazing them in the basins during winter and in higher elevation pastures near the mountains during the rainy season. “In October, the sheep come down from the high pastures to the winter shelter at Khali Khola in Malkwang,” he explained. “From mid-April, we gradually move the sheds uphill, reaching Bukhi Patan near Dhawalagiri Mountain by the monsoon months of July and August.”
Himal shared that tending sheep and goats in the lake basin area offers a pleasant experience compared to the noise, pollution, and stress of city life. Selling around 300 sheep and goats annually, he sustains self-employment and provides jobs for three villagers. With an investment close to one crore rupees, he runs the farm generating an annual income of 3 to 4 million rupees. He also sells goats and rams directly from the shed for meat and religious purposes, ensuring market demands are met without difficulty.
Amar Chhantyal, ward chairperson, stated that the Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality encourages sheep farming and has supported shelter construction. The local veterinary hospital and animal service center provide free vaccinations against internal and external parasites and diseases. To protect the migratory sheep pens, Himal maintains five guard dogs and uses two horses for transporting feed supplies. He has noted that challenges such as limited grazing areas, wildlife attacks, and climate change are increasingly affecting sheep farming.
