SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir
High in Kashmir's mountain pastures, Mohammad Rafiq tends to 1,000 sheep under the constant threat of predators, trekking three hours just to make a phone call home.
He is among the few practitioners of contract shepherding, a centuries-old practice struggling to survive in modern Indian-administered Kashmir.
Contract shepherding, one of the longest-running traditions in the region, continues to provide a livelihood for thousands despite the challenges that may prevent it from growing into a major industry.
At the heart of this custom is a trust-based bargain between chopans, the traditional ethnic Kashmiri shepherds, and farmers. Chopans take sheep to highlands from late spring to fall, serving two types of clients: villagers occupied with agriculture and sheep farmers looking to reduce fodder costs and protect sheep from the summer heat.
Chopans charge anywhere between 600-750 rupees ($7.12-$8.9) per sheep for the entire herding season. While this labor-intensive job can provide a decent living with larger herds, the pursuit of bigger flocks often undermines trust and limits the practice’s growth potential. Azhar Qadri, a sheep farmer, explains why.
“Per informal agreements, chopans distribute grazing areas between themselves. A particular grazing area is sufficient for a herd of, say, 500 sheep. So it is perfectly fine if a chopan takes 500 sheep, 100 each from five small farmers like me. But if he breaches the trust by taking 500 more from other farmers, it becomes a problem because the sheep would be underfed,” said Qadri.
He said that last year, 100 of his sheep had lost weight, rather than gaining it, when they returned after five months. Losses of sheep due to straying, natural causes or preying by wild animals also sows mistrust. Chopans have to account for every death, through photographic evidence, in case of natural causes.
Rafiq, who comes from a family of chopans, sees trust breaches as an aberration caused by "a few black sheep." He and three fellow chopans tend to 1,000 sheep, including 50 of his own.
Their work involves constant movement, facing harsh weather and the threat of bears and leopards, while taking night shifts to make sure the flock stays corralled. In case of emergencies, help from government veterinarians often arrives too late.
"To make a phone call home, we have to trek three hours to the nearest place where you have mobile connectivity. Despite these hardships, I like this profession. I was always drawn to it,” he said. During winter months, he tends his personal flock at home in southern Kashmir's Bijbehara, over 120 kilometers (about 75 miles) from his highland camping site.
The practice extends to Gujjar and Bakerwal shepherds, pastoral nomads who who live off sheep and cattle herding, migrating to the Kashmir Valley in the summer from warmer Jammu province with their typically large herds.
Reinvigorating the sector
Maroof Ahmad Shah, a veterinary officer with the Government Animal Husbandry Department, told Anadolu that chopans' children increasingly turn away from the profession, citing low income, extended absences from home, and limited growth prospects.
“This sector is unorganized. Then, there is the perennial conflict between chopans and farmers. Many chopans told me that they are short-changed,” Shah said.
He argues that the government, private sector, and cooperatives should provide sheep subsidies to help make the job more attractive for chopan families and young unemployed.
"By making them owners we would be raising their stake in this tradition and they will also earn a good living,” said Shah, adding that local production is very low compared to imports. Kashmir Valley imports half a million sheep for Eid-al-Adha ritual alone.
Survival is 'enough'
According to Mehraj-ud-din Ganai, general secretary of the All Kashmir Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association, the region imports about 2 million sheep annually from other Indian states, a trade worth $350 million.
India's latest livestock census had counted 3.2 million sheep in Jammu and Kashmir as of 2019, down from 3.4 million in 2012. While ranking sixth nationally, this meets regional demand for only about 18 months.
Local pastoral nomads and cattle farmers supply just 200,000 to 300,000 sheep to butchers yearly, with numbers declining as they shift to other professions.
As a farmer, Qadri acknowledges both the economic potential and constraints. The seven-month “zero-grazing” period from fall to late spring requires substantial investment in farm sheds, land, and labor.
While land is scarce and expensive -- the average land holding in the region is smaller than one acre --labor costs are also on the rise.
“Personally, I don’t hope this tradition becomes big. It would be enough if it survives at all,” says Qadri.
