Ehsan Fazili/Srinagar

Kashmiris, the most voracious mutton eaters among the Indian communities are heaving a sigh of relief with the meat dealers agreeing to sell mutton for Rs 535 per kg.

This has arrived after a protracted negotiation between the government and the muton dealers to end the deadlock caused by the consumers threatening not to buy the meat in protest against the arbitrary rates the shopkeepers demanded.

The mutton was being sold at Rs 600 a kilo for 135 days.

Kashmir valley’s mutton consumption stands at 35,000 tons annually. Of this near about 70 percent comes from outside the Valley – mainly Rajasthan - and 30 percent are locally produced.

According to Dr. Imran Khwaja, technical officer to Director of Sheep Husbandry said on average 5,000 to 5,500 sheep are slaughtered daily in Kashmir, out of which 3,800 come from outside.

He laments that the local production of sheep has not been growing despite various schemes, for varied reasons including depleting pastures and urbanization. Besides the traditional breeders are also switching over to other professions.

The new rates of mutton, coming at the end of a harsh winter, has cheered up the mood of the consumers. However, the mutton dealers aren’t too happy at it. Their argument is that the last time the rate of mutton was fixed at Rs 440/ per kg in 2016. They claim, the authorities have not taken into cognizance the rising cost of living.

During the past four years, the mutton rates had been hiked by the dealers arbitrarily and the authorities choose to keep silent. It was sold between Rs 550 and 600 per kilo.

In 2017, the retail mutton dealers struck work against the revision of rates announced by the authorities. They however called it off and the government also didn’t pursue the order. The supplies from Rajasthan and other parts of the country were hit in 2008 due to alleged harassment of truck drivers in some states.   

According to Khazir Mohammad Rigoo, president, All Kashmir Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association the realistic price should be between Rs 550 and 600.

It all began on November 2 last year, when the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole, head of the Rate Fixation Committee, fixed the retail mutton rate at Rs 480, leading to the spontaneous ‘undeclared strike’ by the mutton dealers.

To end the stalemate, a fact-finding team with the approval of the administration was constituted which included representatives of All Kashmir Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association, Kashmir Economic Alliance and some local journalists.

The team in December traveled to different cities and states, Delhi, Amritsar, Ambala, and Rajasthan, to ‘investigate mutton prices.’ The committee presented its report in early February prompting the administration to revise the rates from Rs 480 to Rs 515 per kg. However, the stalemate continued.

However, the summers when the sheep and goat breeding communities like Bakerwals travel to high altitude meadows the supply of local mutton drops and the demand has to be met from imports and hence the urgency for settling for a price.