If the Animal, Sheep Husbandry Department would’ve taken the required actions to set up sheep farms in the Valley per the level of demand, the loss of revenue would have been avoided. In addition to creating jobs, this would have greatly aided in addressing the requirements of the population and reduced dependency on the importation of mutton from other states. It’s interesting to note that over 800 trucks of sheep were brought into Kashmir during Ramadan alone, which indicates that the indigenous mutton production is insufficient, almost equal to zero when it comes to cover needs as no corrective measures have been taken in this direction thus far.
The Animal, Sheep Husbandry Department must show tangible outcomes in addition to implementing programmes to boost sheep breeding. The Government has to deal with this problem meticulously and hold the department accountable for failing to meet the requirements of the people because its failure to address the stock deficit is obvious. As there isn’t a comprehensive policy in this area, there is an urgent need to guarantee that Kashmir becomes self-sufficient in satiating its livestock demands and that the sector, through the steps required, sets foot on a trajectory of growth and expansion. Nothing but a total failure of the policymakers is brought to light by more supply coming from non-state sources—something that cannot be denied.
By taking the necessary steps, the policymakers could have stopped money from leaving the region and instead made it easier for it to do so. The government must develop a plan to improve sheep breeding in the area, which must aim to make Kashmir self-sufficient as well as to highlight the sheep rearing’s offshoots, which could then be further explored to develop into full-fledged all-encompassing sectors. The Government must now take concentrated and goal-oriented action because the sector has enormous potential but has thus far gone unrealized. It has an answer to a number of the Valley’s economic problems; all that is required to make a difference is a keen eye, creative, and curious mind, ready to implement major changes.
