Srinagar, Mar 14: Mutton is selling at Rs 750 to Rs 800 per kg across Srinagar’s markets – well above the Rs 740 rate announced by the All Kashmir Butchers Union – as the Valley’s decontrolled meat pricing regime collapses into chaos ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, with neither the government nor the trade body able to enforce adherence to declared rates.
The Butchers Union president Khazir Muhammad Rigoo announced the revised rate of Rs 740 per kg ahead of Eid, citing a shortage triggered by Punjab transit disruptions and the need to prevent black marketing. However, consumers in localities across Srinagar said the announcement had made little difference on the ground.
“Mutton was sold to me at Rs 750 per kg today in Barbarshah,” said Ghulam Muhammad, a consumer, adding that fluctuating rates were being reported across other markets as well.
The pricing chaos has its roots in a 2023 decision by the Union Territory administration to withdraw from regulating mutton prices, instructing the Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department to exit the market after the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs clarified that the decades-old regulatory order S.O 145(E) of February 15, 1990 was “no longer valid and applicable.” This effectively handed pricing power to the Mutton Dealers Union.
Since decontrol, rate hikes have become a pattern. On March 11, 2025, the Butchers Union raised rates by Rs 50 per kg – from Rs 650 to Rs 700. The latest revision takes it to Rs 740, with actual market rates running Rs 10 to Rs 60 higher still.
General Secretary of the All Kashmir Mutton Dealers Union Mehraj-ud-Din Ganaie blamed government inaction for the crisis. “One fails to understand why the government is reluctant to take control of mutton pricing once again as was being done in the past,” he said.
He said not a single meeting had been held with butchers and mutton union leaders ahead of Shab-e-Qadr, at the ministerial, divisional or district level. “The government must not ignore the plight of the general public. Mutton is not a luxury for people but a necessity for the people of Kashmir,” he said.
Ganaie called for the restoration of the Jammu and Kashmir Mutton (Licensing and Control) Order, 1973. “Immediate measures at this juncture would ensure adherence to rates and accountability on the ground,” he said.
Consumers have urged the government to reject the fresh rate revision and take legal action against those found overcharging. “The fresh rates must not be implemented and those found violating norms should face the law,” they said.
