Srinagar, Mar 20: With Eid-ul-Fitr being celebrated on Saturday, Kashmir is witnessing a massive surge in poultry consumption, with trade estimates suggesting that nearly 30 lakh chicken birds are consumed across the Valley during Ramadan and the peak Eid days, generating business worth around Rs 80–100 crore.
Although no official data is available, poultry dealers and market insiders say demand for chicken rises sharply—by nearly 20 to 30 percent—during the holy month, with the last week before Eid recording the highest sales.
“In the final days of Ramadan, especially on Chand Raat and Eid eve, sales shoot up drastically. I sell around 500 birds on Eid eve alone, compared to 200–250 on normal days,” said Ghulam Nabi, a poultry dealer in Srinagar.
At the wholesale level, traders said the Valley depends heavily on supplies from outside Jammu and Kashmir to meet festive demand. “Local production is very limited. Every day, truckloads of live birds arrive from Punjab and Haryana. Without that, we cannot sustain the Eid rush,” said Mohammad Yousuf, a wholesaler at Parimpora mandi.
Another dealer, Aijaz Ahmad from Batamaloo, said chicken has increasingly become a staple during Ramadan. “Mutton has become too expensive for many families. Chicken is affordable, and people prefer it for daily Iftar meals as well as Eid dishes. Demand this year is even higher than last year,” he said.
Retailers across the city echoed similar trends. “From the 20th of Ramadan onwards, demand doubles. People buy in bulk—two to three chickens at a time—for family gatherings,” said Irfan Ahmad, who runs a poultry shop in uptown Srinagar.
Consumers said the shift is driven by both cost and convenience. “Chicken is easier to cook and suits all kinds of dishes—korma, kebabs, curries. We still buy mutton for Eid, but chicken is what we use throughout Ramadan,” said Nusrat Jan, a homemaker from Rajbagh.
Shabir Ahmad, a resident of old Srinagar, said, “Earlier, chicken was occasional. Now it is a regular part of our meals in Ramadan. Even on Eid, we prepare at least one chicken dish along with mutton.”
Traders estimate that, on average, each household purchases 2–3 kilograms of chicken during Eid, contributing to overall consumption running into millions of birds.
