Srinagar: Kashmiris once again proved they are voracious meat-eaters after the valleyites consumed muttong worth Rs 100 crore on Eid-ul-Fitr, the celebrated Tuesday at the conclusion of Ramadan, the month of fasting. The mutton dealers, however, said the consumption was lesser than previous years.
Manzoor Ahmad Qanun, President All Kashmir Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association, said that the demand for mutton was "much less" this year as compared to the past years. "The demand for meat in the markets has lowered this year as compared to last year but still meat worth around Rs 100 crore was sold on Eid-ul-Fitr," Qanun said.
"As many as 650 truckloads of sheep arrived in Kashmir ahead of Eid festival," Qanun said. The figure only refers to the consumption of imported mutton. A small portion of demand is also met by the local production. Over the past two decades, local production has also grown substantially. According to Mutton Dealers' figures, a week ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, about 97,000 different sheep and goats were imported from Delhi, Rajasthan, and other markets of the country. Significantly, most of the supply to the Kashmir mutton market comes from Delhi and Rajasthan markets. Meanwhile, the bakery and confectionery products worth Rs 20 crore were also sold.
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