Muslims in J&K are expected to slaughter around four lakh sheep and goats worth Rs 120 crore to offer qurbani on Bakri Eid on Monday.
Around Rs 120 crore will be spent for the occasion
Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir are expected to slaughter around four lakh sheep and goats worth Rs 120 crore to offer qurbani (sacrificing animals) on the Eid-ul-Azha (Bakri Eid) which falls on Monday.
It is customary among affluent Muslims to slaughter animals on Bakr Eid. The meat is distributed among the poor to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim's sacrifice to fulfill God's commandments. The festival also marks the culmination of annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.
"This year, people in J&K will sacrifice around four lakh sheep and goats. And on an average, each animal costs around Rs 3,000. Nearly, Rs 120 crore will be spent on purchasing live stocks this Eid," said AK Misri, managing director, J&K sheep and sheep products board. Srinagar tops in the sacrifice list. Around 50,000 sheep and goats will be sacrificed in the capital city this Monday.
"The animals are available for sale in abundance. We have also set up counters for the convenience of the people," said Shafat Kakroo, in-charge of sales at the J&K Sheep and Sheep Products Board. Most of the people in J&K are non-vegetarian. And mutton consumption in the state is one of the largest in the country. According to the Directorate of Sheep Husbandry figures, the annual sheep imports cost J&K around Rs 350 crore.
Nearly, 15 lakh sheep and goat are imported annually from Rajasthan. And this caters to only 60 per cent of the total requirement. Forty per cent of the meat requirements in the state are generated indigenously.
This year, special care is taken to ensure that no ill or weak animal is sold in the markets. This because of the closure of the 300-kilometer Jammu-Srinagar National highway for days together. The trucks, carrying the animals, were stranded on the highway. Many animals died in the process.
"We have constituted seven teams that are patrolling the markets in Kashmir. If they come across any weak or diseased animal, they would immediately confiscate them," said Shafaqat Hussain, health officer at the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC).
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