Kashmir: Looking Back in Time (Politics, Culture, History) by Khalid Bashir Ahmad

Author:Khalid Bashir Ahmad [Ahmad, Khalid Bashir]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-02-12T00:00:00+00:00

A look at the Annual Trade Reports from 1900 to 1923 throws up interesting figures with respect to prices of different commodities. In 1900, a maund of almonds was exported from Kashmir to Punjab at the rate of ` 20, potato at ` 2.50 and apples and pears at ` 5. A year earlier as well as a year later, a maund of rice was exported at the rate of ` 2, raw silk at ` 600 and raw wool including Pashm at ` 40. In 1902, export rate of a maund of raw cotton was ` 3.62, of cattle hides ` 18, of ghee ` 23.19 and of tobacco and snuff ` 33.94. In 1916-17, a maund of wheat was exported at the rate of ` 8 and pulses at ` 2.15. In 1922-23, a maund of walnut was exported at the rate ` 5.40 and ghee at ` 47.70.

As regards prices of staple food grains in 1911, the quantity per rupee by seer was wheat 14, barley 25, maize 28, moong 15, oil 2 and paddy 33.[8] Next year, rice was sold 14 seers and gram 5.5 seers a rupee.[9] A communication sent in 1918 by the Superintendent of Zanana Hospital, Srinagar, Ms. Kovanghan to the Governor of Kashmir tells us that rice was sold in Srinagar at ` 7 a maund and an equal weight of paddy at ` 2. The hospital had purchased for its patients food grains from a private contractor but because of poor quality “the supply had to be thrown away”.[10] Kovanghan then approached the Governor for supply of 100 kharwars of paddy.

Dr. Arthur Neve, Surgeon to the Kashmir Medical Mission, who lived in the Valley for many years, published The Tourist’s Guide to Kashmir, Ladakh, Skardo & C. during 1923 wherein he lists prices of food items prevalent in those days. He writes that in Srinagar prices tend to rise in summer season and because of scarcity many articles were expensive in winter. According to him, good mutton was usually sold about seer a rupee. “In the Districts”, he writes, “if a sheep is killed, the meat might be taken at 5 seers a rupee.”[11] A good sized fowl was sold at a rupee and small sized ones two at a rupee. The price of a duck in the city was 8 annas in winter and 12 annas to a rupee in summer. A goose was sold at ` 2 to 3. Fish was available at 4 to 6 annas a seer. The price of eggs varied from season to season and when plentiful, these were sold 6 to 8 annas a dozen. A rupee would fetch 6 seers of milk in the city and 10 seers in the higher grazing grounds. Local vegetables like turnip, carrot, vegetable marrow, tomato and peas were “very cheap”.[12] The English kind vegetables were sold “8 to 10 annas a dali [basket] from the public garden near the [SPS] Library.”[13] Potatoes were sold 16 seers a rupee or more in the places they were grown in summer.

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