The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — Ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, people complain that the sacrificial animals are being sold at arbitrary prices in the absence of the rate regulatory body for livestock in Jammu and Kashmir.

The consumers told the news agency KNO that there are no fixed rates for sacrificial animals and that the sellers are pitching the rates of their choice.

“From Eidgah to Soura, not a single seller told me a fixed rate; some were selling sheep at Rs 350/kg while some at Rs 430/kg. There is no enforcement or checking of rates,” Tariq Ahmad, a Srinagar resident, said.

Tariq, who was present at the Eidgah, where the sacrificial animals are sold, said he is not able to select the ‘Qurbani’ due to high rates. He said he, along with his family, has been visiting the market for the last two days.

“The rates should be reasonable. I selected a sheep that was of a good size, but its owner asked for a huge price. I even offered him a rate beyond the ongoing market rate, but he insisted on his price tag,” Ahmad said.

Many visitors said the market is down compared to the last few years. “The people’s purchasing power is low this time. The livestock at Eidgah used to be less, but you can see how much still stands unsold,” said another person out to buy the animal.

A non-local seller from Rajasthan said that he has so far sold around 30 per cent of his livestock. “I have paid the freight of more than Rs 1 lakh for transportation. I brought 160 sheep here, of which I have sold around 40 only. There are no fixed rates, I have sold some at Rs 350/kg and some at Rs 360/kg even though there should be a rate of Rs 400/kg,” he said.

Similar reports were received from other districts of the valley where people complained of unregulated rates of sacrificial animals for Eid-ul-Azha.

The General Secretary of the Mutton Dealers Association, Mehraj-u-din said that they have no say in regulating the rates of sacrificial animals. "The rates are purely in an agreement between the buyer and seller," he said.

“There is nothing much our association can do about it. It is purely between a buyer and a seller when both are satisfied at a specific rate. And more importantly, the rates depend upon the quality one purchases,” he said and added, “Even those who are not of our trade sell sacrificial animals on these days. We cannot make any pre-announcement on the rates.”

Last year, ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, the J&K Government fixed the rates for sacrificial animals. For Delhi Walla and Merino Cross varieties, it was Rs 310 per kg, for Bakerwal and local Kashmiri sheep, it was Rs 295/kg and the rate for goats was fixed at Rs 285 per kg.

Earlier this month, the administration instructed the officials to refrain from regulating the prices of mutton and other livestock products.

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir did not respond to the call for his comment on the issue.

SRINAGAR — Mutton prices in the valley have increased by almost 22 percent after the J&K administration recently instructed the officials to refrain from regulating the rates of meat and other livestock products.

Mutton consumers from various parts of the valley told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that they have been left with no option but to buy the mutton at exorbitant prices.

“In the absence of any rate regulatory, body mutton is being sold by butchers at the price of their own will. There is no one to check the rates. We see prices rising up by over Rs 100 per kg overnight. A common man has been left at the mercy of the situation,” Shabir Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar, said.

Farooq Ahmad Dar, a Srinagar-based trade leader said the absence of a rate-regulating body for mutton and other livestock has created problems. He said that in case of overpricing of mutton, people used to approach and complain to CAPD, Tehsil, or the district administration.

“Uncontrolled mutton rates have worried people as to where should one go if someone has a complaint about its pricing. The dealers have announced new rates till Eid. We don’t know what will be the rates after the festival,” he said while stressing that there “must” be a rate regulating body.

Calling for guest control in the absence of a mutton rate regulating body, Dar said that amid the marriage season in the valley, there are apprehensions that mutton may be sold even beyond Rs 650 kg and that people should limit the number of guests in marriages.

A senior functionary at All Kashmir Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association said the fresh rates of mutton were decided by the Mutton Retailer Association. “We extended our support on certain conditions to keep the mutton rates under control,” he said.

Quoting the Retail Mutton Association, he said they were apprehensive that mutton may be sold at varied and high rates in the valley and that the stakeholders associated with the trade unanimously decided to sell mutton at Rs 650 per kg till Eid.

“We were a part of the meeting and rates were decided by the Mutton Retailers Association. We asked them to draw a mechanism which will ensure that the rates will be followed by every butcher,” he said.

Meanwhile, an official from the CAPD told KNO that as of now, they have clear-cut directions not to regulate the rates of mutton and other livestock products.

The Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs last week asked the authorities to stop regulating the prices of livestock products. Prior to the notification, the government-approved price of mutton was Rs 535 per kg.

There was no response to the repeated calls and a message to the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir on the issue.

SRINAGAR — The Jammu & Kashmir Government will not regulate the prices of mutton in the Union Territory from now onwards.

The Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs of J&K Government on Tuesday directed the Directorates of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Jammu/Srinagar, all district administrations and other enforcement agencies, who are regulating prices of livestock products, to refrain from issuing any order on regulating prices of mutton.

The government decided against regulating the prices of mutton after the Centre communicated to it that the notification under which the powers were delegated to Jammu & Kashmir Government for regulating certain commodities is no longer valid.

“…..the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, GOI vide its communication No. S-15/1/2023-ECR&E, dated 20.04.2023 clarified that any order issued by quoting S.O 145(E) dated 15.02.1990 is based on an order that is no longer valid and applicable, as such, the Ministry advised the Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department, J&K to issue necessary directions to all concerned authorities to refrain from issuing or enforcing any order quoting S.O. 145(E) dated 15.02.1990,” the notification states, as per the news agency KNO.

The Centre issued the clarification after the J&K’s Agriculture Production Department asked it whether the notification under which the powers were delegated to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir for regulating the commodities specified in the schedule(s) to the said notification was valid.

The J&K Government also repealed 'The Jammu and Kashmir Mutton (Licensing and Control) Order, 1973'. The order provided that “no person shall carry on the business of mutton as a wholesaler, broker or a retailer except under and in accordance with a license issued on this behalf by the Licensing Authority”. The prices of mutton were also regulated under the order.

SRINAGAR — To control the price of mutton, authorities have sealed over 117 mutton shops for the past two weeks in Kashmir's capital city Srinagar.

People associated with the mutton trade are up in arms against the Directorate of Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution.

Authorities have fixed the price of meat at Rs 535 per kg in 2021, however, Assistant Director Enforcement, Mushtaq Ahmed Wani told the news agency KNT that complaints were being received that the butchers were selling meat at Rs 600 to Rs 650. He said the action to seal the shops has become inevitable given the fact that butchers continue to rob the consumers.

He appealed to people to inform the Department and identify the butchers who sell meat at exorbitant rates.

The senior leader of the Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association, Mehrajudin Ganai said that government should take a realistic view of the situation emerging due to the clash between the butchers and authorities. “There is inflation. Every product witnessed a hike and meat is not an exception,” he said, adding that there should be consensus on the rate.

Meanwhile, Kashmir Economic Alliance is mulling having a meeting with authorities to end the deadlock.

SRINAGAR — The valley of Kashmir is facing a shortage of meat, which many believe is artificial, in the holy month of Ramadhan as there is a deadlock between the Union territory administration and the mutton dealers over the prices.

On the one hand, the Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association says that the shortage exists because of the callous attitude of the administration and they can't continue with the trade in the present circumstances.

However, on the other hand, the authorities have been acting against the butchers against whom there are complaints of overpricing or found selling at arbitrary prices during market checking.

In the meantime, many meat sellers' shops have also been sealed by the authorities after their shops were found to be insanitary and unhygienic, with no consideration of cleanliness.

Shortage of meat in Kashmir not artificial in nature: Mutton Dealers Association

All Kashmir Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association on Thursday contended that the shortage of meat was a result of the policies of the UT administration and it was in no way artificial but real.

The Association said that there are grievances that need to be addressed amicably, however, the attitude of the administration has been forcing people associated with the trade to close down their shops.

Mehrajuddin, a senior member of the All Kashmir Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association, told a Srinagar based news agency Kashmir News Trust that shortage of the meat presently in Valley has a lot to do with the callous attitude of the administration. He said the sealing of meat shops can’t be justified at a time when there is too much inflation.

“The fuel prices have gone up. Prices of domestic gas cylinders are touching the sky. When there is a hike in every product, how can you expect mutton dealers and butchers selling the meat at the constant rate,” he questioned.

“When you start sealing the meat shops without any reason, it hits the trade. Others take a cue and refrain from buying and selling the meat to the consumers at low prices,” he said.

Mehrajuddin said that the administration was supposed to take a review meeting on rate fixation but it didn’t take stakeholders on board and unilaterally issued an order to thrust rates on the butchers.

“There was no review meeting on rate fixation that was scheduled to take place on March 18 last month. Let the administration take the stakeholders on board before imposing any fixed rate. Meat dealers can’t run their business on losses,” he said, adding that the supply of meat to Valley is also low due to the ongoing Navratri.

KEA asks government to end the deadlock with mutton dealers

Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) has expressed concern over the 'artificial' shortage of meat in the Valley during the holy month of Ramadhan and advised the stakeholders to resolve the issue amicably.

During a press conference in Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Dar, co-chairman KEA, said that people in the valley consume more meat during Ramadhan, however, due to the shortage of meat, citizens face difficulties. Farooq Ahmad Dar asked the administration to resolve the issue with the butchers and consider their demands sympathetically.

Dar said that last year the Divisional Administration had fixed the rate of meat at Rs 535 per kg, but prices have not been raised since then. Dar said that since the Alliance had settled the matter between the stakeholders as a facilitator last year, it was its moral obligation to end the deadlock between the stakeholders at this stage as well.

He urged the administration to resolve the problem amicably so that people do not face a shortage of meat during the holy month of Ramadhan and Eid. Dar also urged the administration to withdraw the March 18 notification which was extended for six months.

He said that fuel prices had gone up from the last year. As a result, transport fares also increased. He asked the government to take into account all these issues and solve the problem of the butchers and increase the prices as per the regulations.

He requested CAPD to stop sealing butchers' shops until the matter is settled, as this could lead to more meat shortages during the holy month of Ramadhan.