Kashmir mutton dealers urge families to postpone weddings amid livestock import suspension

Traders allege unauthorised charges in Punjab have disrupted livestock imports and threatened mutton supplies during the peak wedding season

Srinagar: A mutton shortage is looming in Kashmir during the peak wedding season after livestock dealers suspended imports from outside the Valley, prompting trader associations to urge families to postpone weddings and other major functions until the supply crisis is resolved.

The disruption follows a decision by mutton dealers last week to halt fresh livestock imports into Jammu and Kashmir, citing what they describe as harassment, prolonged stoppages and unauthorised charges imposed on livestock transporters in Punjab.

Previously, livestock traders and mutton dealers from Jammu and Kashmir alleged harassment while transiting through Punjab, claiming that contractor groups stopped livestock-laden vehicles, demanded unauthorised payments despite valid permits, caused delays, financial losses, and disrupted animal transport.

Following the complaints, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote to his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann, urging him to investigate the matter. Abdullah said the alleged unlawful stoppages were affecting transporters, disrupting trade, causing hardship, and compromising animal welfare, while also undermining the longstanding spirit of cooperation between the two regions.

PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also raised the issue with CM Mann, saying he assured her of action over reports that Kashmiri mutton dealers were being stopped and harassed by contractors.

On June 23, the Kashmir Mutton Dealers Association (KMDA) announced that no new livestock-laden vehicles would be dispatched to the Valley until long-pending transportation issues were resolved.

The association warned that the move could affect mutton availability during weddings, engagement ceremonies and Nazar-o-Niyaz gatherings.

The crisis has since entered its second week, with dealers claiming that additional charges imposed on livestock transporters have disrupted supply chains, increased transportation costs and contributed to rising mutton prices across the Valley.

“We have already urged people to postpone their wedding dates as we don’t have sufficient livestock available in Kashmir. A Kashmiri wedding is incomplete without wazwan, which is prepared from mutton. Since there is no stock available in the Valley, we have no option but to ask people to defer their weddings until the issue is resolved with the authorities,” said Mehraj-u-Din Ganie, general secretary of the Kashmir Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association.

Ganie, who is currently in Punjab to take up the matter with state authorities, said the dispute revolves around charges allegedly collected from livestock transporters despite provisions exempting transit vehicles from such fees.

The issue centres on the Punjab Cattle Fairs (Regulation) Act, 1967, which regulates the sale and purchase of livestock at notified cattle fairs and markets in the state.

While the law permits the collection of prescribed fees at notified cattle fairs, amendments introduced in 2025 specify that livestock merely transiting through Punjab should not be charged a cattle fair fee if transporters possess valid transit passes.

Kashmir’s livestock dealers allege that the provision is not being implemented on the ground.

“When our vehicles carrying livestock enter Punjab from other states, they are stopped and made to pay between ₹10,000 and ₹20,000 per truck. These collections are unauthorised. The amended rules clearly state that no cattle fair fee should be charged from vehicles carrying livestock in transit,” Ganie alleged.

According to him, representatives of the association have held meetings with several Punjab government officials, who acknowledged the issue but have yet to implement a solution.

The supply disruption has significantly affected Kashmir’s livestock trade.

According to dealer estimates, the Valley imports between 40 and 50 truckloads of livestock daily under normal circumstances. During the wedding season, an additional 20 truckloads are brought in to meet increased demand.

Each truck carries livestock worth nearly ₹20 lakh, taking the estimated value of daily livestock imports during the wedding season to approximately ₹14 crore, according to the association.

The All Kashmir Wholesale and Retail Mutton Dealers Association has also raised concerns over the issue.

Its president, Khazir Mohammad Regoo, recently described the levy as a “gunda tax” and said the additional burden had severely affected livestock supplies to Kashmir.

“It’s a ‘gunda tax’. We already pay tax in Delhi when purchasing mutton. This extra 4 percent burden is unjustified and has choked supply lines to Kashmir,” Regoo said, adding that a meeting with the Punjab chief minister was expected in the coming days.

The prolonged disruption has led to shortages in several markets and triggered concern among families preparing for weddings and other social events, where wazwan remains a central part of traditional celebrations.

Free Press Kashmir reached out to the authorities concerned in Punjab, including the office of ruling party MP Sanjay Singh, seeking a response to the allegations. A response was awaited at the time of publication.

Meanwhile, Omar Abdullah has taken up the matter with his Punjab counterpart and sought immediate intervention to address the concerns raised by Kashmir’s mutton dealers, officials confirmed.

The chief minister’s intervention comes amid mounting public concern over supply disruptions and rising prices ahead of one of the busiest wedding seasons of the year.

Dealer associations have reiterated their demand for urgent administrative intervention, warning that continued disruption could worsen shortages and further increase mutton prices across the Valley.