Handwara youth’s journey into pastoral canvas of sheep farming

Kupwara, Nov 26: In the idyllic tapestry of Herpora Handwara, Noumaan Dar’s journey unveils a narrative of triumph.

Emerging from the local Masjid, Noumaan chanced upon an enchanting auction of a ram. Silently, without a whisper to his kin, he immersed himself in the spirited bidding, and luckily won it by paying Rs 6000 to the Masjid committee.

A graduate of Government Degree College Handwara, Noumaan embodied a relentless spirit, fuelled by a desire for economic independence and entrepreneurship.

Despite scepticism among friends, his passion for sheep farming prevailed, and today, Noumaan stands as an exemplar, a testament to the triumph of passion, persistence, and the pursuit of dreams.

Noumaan’s elder brother advocate Abdul Rashid Dar who is a Public Prosecutor has been a great support for him all through these years. Advocate Dar has not only encouraged Noumaan but has provided him with financial support too.

Starting with just one ram, his livestock multiplied in the following years and presently he owns more than fifty sheep. In the beginning, Noumaan had to face a lot of loss because of the mortality of sheep every now and then but with the passage of time he honed the skills of sheep farming.

Earlier Noumaan had a variety of sheep including Southdown, Hampshire, Corriedale, Kangdi, Merino wrinkled, Kashmiri Merino and Karakul but later he discovered with experience that only Kashmiri Merino and Corriedale were the best varieties according to the weather of Kashmir besides these two varieties provide best meat quality.

Noumaan’s neighbours have also drawn inspiration from him with the result more than thirty families are now dealing with sheep farming.

Noumaan a trained football coach while talking to Greater Kashmir said that he has never thought of a government job and instead wants to be a job giver. “Sheep farming was not being taken good in Kashmir before some time but now the scenario has changed and guys like me are coming forward to set up sheep rearing units. Our forefathers even our prophets have been dealing in this trade,” he added.

“Sheep farming is a great prospect for youth to invest in because more than six hundred (600) lakh kilogrammes of mutton is being consumed in Jammu and Kashmir annually. There is a huge disparity between supply and demand. Sheep farming if done on a mass level can be a great boon to overall development and most importantly it can be a great source to reduce growing unemployment,” Noumaan while grazing his sheep in a local garden told this correspondent.

At a young age, Noumaan is earning enough from sheep farming and thus has become a beacon of hope and inspiration for other unemployed educated youth. “Interested youth who want to come in sheep farming can contact me, and I will share dos and don’ts with them,” Dar added.

“Being a government employee has become a status symbol in Kashmir with the result that educated youth end up doing nothing. Instead of going after government jobs, they should set up their ventures to become economically independent. Being economically weak is the major reason for youth to get immersed in depression and most importantly late marriages occur due to feeble economic conditions of youth,” Noumaan said.

“One of my friends who after trying for almost four years for a government job could not get it, later set up his venture and within years he got success. He has not only become economically sound but generates employment for others,”

Noumaan however seems to be unhappy with the working of the Sheep Husbandry department in Handwara for failing to live up to the expectations of local youth.

“The Sheep Husbandry department has never come up to the rescue of youth like me. The department has kept few brokers at Handwara who benefit the blue-eyed persons and the deserving are being deprived,” he added.