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Amid the holy month of Ramadan, locals in Kashmir have criticized the Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Affairs Ministry (FCS&CA) for failing to rein in soaring prices of basic commodities like meat, chicken, fruits and vegetables in the markets.
People are particularly unhappy about the exorbitant price of mutton, which they claim is being sold at Rs 650-700 per kg, well above the government-approved price of Rs 535, and accuse the FCSCA department of failing to police the price effectively.
Many residents in the valley have voiced their displeasure that prices for vegetables, fruits and other items are 20-60 percent higher than government-approved prices. They also claim shopkeepers are ignoring the prices set by the FCS&CA, leading to a flood of complaints about profiteering in markets large and small in the region.
Touseef Ramzan, a resident of Srinagar, expressed his frustration about the high prices of mutton during the holy month of Ramadan, saying that shopkeepers are charging Rs 650-700 per kg instead of the government-approved rate of Rs 535.
Touseef also questioned why the concerned department is not taking any action against those who are charging exorbitant prices.
Jan Mohammad, another resident of Srinagar, alleged that the department is lenient towards those who are overcharging customers. He suggested that the authorities should suspend the license of such offenders, rather than imposing just a fine.
Jan further stated that the high prices of mutton are causing difficulties for households like his, who require it for medical purposes.
Why Mutton is so expensive in J&K?
The price of mutton in the markets of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has been a cause of concern for the residents for quite some time. However, the reasons behind the price rise are not clear-cut and there are different perspectives among the various stakeholders in the industry.
One of the main reasons given by the representatives of the current J&K administration is illegal and uncontrolled speculation by meat wholesalers and retailers. They claim that the traders inflate the annual inflation rate from 5% to 7% and sell the meat above the price prescribed by the government.
The government is trying to deal with this issue strictly and has promised to take legal action against potential speculators.
The Mutton Rate Control Act of J&K has negated the role of Commissioned Agents as stakeholders in the industry, and the government is actively trying to eliminate them by issuing licenses to genuine wholesalers.
Another main reason is transportation costs, taxes, and the dangers associated with transporting lamb meat between states are other factors that increase the price of lamb meat at J&K.
UT Jammu and Kashmir only produce about 33% of the consumer demand for mutton and imports the rest from other states like Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Director orders crackdown on overpriced mutton
According to a report by Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the Director of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Kashmir department, Dr Abdul Salaam Mir, has instructed his enforcement teams to seal any shops selling mutton above Rs 600 per kg.
Dr Mir also urged the public to report any rate violations to the department's toll-free number, 18001807106.
Dr Mir has emphasized that his department will intensify inspections to monitor mutton rates and take strict action against those found violating the prescribed price.
The department's efforts are expected to help control the skyrocketing mutton prices in Jammu and Kashmir and provide relief to the consumers who have been bearing the brunt of the price rise.
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