Mutton prices revised to Rs 740 per kg in Kashmir

Srinagar, Mar 15: Mutton prices in Kashmir have witnessed a fresh surge, with the All Kashmir Butchers Union fixing the retail rate at Rs 740 per kilogram, a move that is expected to take effect across the Valley.

The announcement comes amid growing public concern over rising meat prices in the region, particularly as mutton remains a staple food item in Kashmiri households. Officials of the butchers’ body said the revised rate was decided after internal consultations within the trade fraternity.

Speaking to Greater Kashmir, President, All Kashmir Butchers union Khazir Muhammad Regoo confirmed that the new rate had been finalised and would be implemented from Monday.

“The rate has been revised and we have fixed it at Rs 740 per kilogram. From tomorrow onwards the new price will be implemented,” Regoo said, adding that the union would soon explain the factors that led to the revision.

The price revision comes in the backdrop of the revocation of the Mutton Control Order of 1973 by the Jammu and Kashmir Government, which effectively deregulated prices of the commodity and allowed market forces to determine the rates of essential food items.

In a statement, the All Kashmir Butchers Union rejected what it described as “false and frivolous” claims circulating in sections of the media that the scrapping of the order had led to arbitrary price hikes in the retail market. The union said the removal of the decades-old regulation has instead helped streamline the mutton trade, improve product quality and encourage investment in the sector.

According to the statement, the new system has also encouraged modernisation of retail mutton shops and introduced greater transparency in trade practices. The union maintained that open availability of mutton across the Valley has frustrated attempts by black marketers who earlier hoarded supplies and sold them at exorbitant prices during peak demand periods and religious occasions.

The statement further claimed that under the previous regulatory regime, a small cartel had dominated the trade by manipulating supply and creating artificial shortages in the market. However, the shift towards a system driven by demand and supply has helped ensure uninterrupted availability of mutton across all twenty districts of the Union Territory.

The union also urged the administration to continue strengthening market checking squads to monitor hygiene, quality, weight and measurement of food products including mutton. It called for greater government investment in the livestock sector, particularly in raising mutton-producing sheep varieties within Jammu and Kashmir to reduce dependence on imports.

Among other suggestions, the butchers’ body proposed the establishment of a dedicated livestock mandi in Samba to attract traders from Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana and facilitate direct buying and selling of livestock for the Valley’s large consumer market. It also stressed the need for improved transport infrastructure and freight corridors to reduce the high cost of transporting livestock into the region.

The union further referred to the government’s proposal for a large-scale mutton storage, slaughter, grading and trade centre, saying that once completed it could emerge as one of North India’s major hubs for the dressed mutton trade.

Meanwhile, consumers in the Valley expressed concern over the rising prices, claiming that the retail rates in many markets are already higher than the officially announced price.

“Mutton is hardly available at Rs 740 in the market. In most places we are buying it for around Rs 800 per kilogram,” said Ghulam Nabi, a consumer in Srinagar.