Jammu and Kashmir’s livestock population figures are substantial, with more than 43 lakh sheep and another 22.5 lakh goats. Yet, the Union Territory continues to produce significantly less mutton than it consumes, leaving a large gap that is filled by supplies from outside.
The issue has gained renewed significance following frequent disruptions in the movement of livestock into J&K, including the latest disruption in supplies from Punjab. The episodes have exposed the Union Territory’s continued dependence on animals brought from other states to bridge the gap between local production and consumption.
Official figures show that J&K produces around 370 lakh kilograms of mutton annually against an estimated demand of 545 lakh kilograms. This leaves a shortfall of nearly 175 lakh kilograms a year.
The gap is equivalent to roughly 9–10 lakh sheep, depending on the average meat yield per animal.
The disparity, experts say, cannot be explained simply by the number of sheep in the region. The productivity of the flock—including breed characteristics, growth rates, nutrition, disease control and management practices—is equally important.
Unlike some major commercial meat-producing regions, J&K’s sheep population consists largely of indigenous and traditional breeds valued for their adaptability to the region’s difficult terrain and climatic conditions. However, these breeds generally have lower growth rates and carcass yields than specialised meat-producing breeds developed through systematic genetic selection.
Across major sheep-producing regions, breeding programmes have been used to improve traits such as growth rate, reproductive performance and meat yield. In J&K, improving the genetic potential of local flocks could therefore play an important role in increasing meat production without relying solely on an expansion in animal numbers.
Genetics, however, is only one part of the problem.
Sheep productivity is also closely linked to nutrition, access to quality fodder and grazing resources, disease prevention, veterinary care and scientific flock management. Deficiencies in any of these areas can affect growth, lamb survival, reproductive performance and ultimately the quantity of meat produced.
The sector is also facing pressure from the shrinking availability of traditional grazing areas. Expansion of settlements and infrastructure, changes in land use and increasing input costs have made livestock rearing more difficult and, in some cases, less attractive for farmers.
Experts say that addressing J&K’s mutton deficit will therefore require strengthening the entire production chain rather than focusing on livestock numbers alone.
The government has begun moving in that direction by placing greater emphasis on improving the genetic potential of the local sheep population.
The Sheep Husbandry Department plans to introduce advanced breeding technologies, including Embryo Transfer Technology (ETT) and Multiple Ovulation and Embryo Transfer (MOET). The proposed interventions include embryo-generation laboratories, cryopreservation facilities and embryo-transfer laboratories across districts, alongside specialised training for veterinarians and para-veterinary staff.
Such interventions could accelerate the dissemination of superior genetic traits within the local flock, but livestock scientists caution that genetic improvement is a long-term process and cannot immediately close the demand-supply gap.
For J&K, the challenge is consequently much broader than dealing with periodic disruptions in livestock supplies from outside.
A sustained increase in local mutton production will require simultaneous improvements in breeding, nutrition, animal health, grazing resources, scientific flock management, farmer support and market infrastructure.
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