M Aamir Khan
Srinagar: Not long ago, it was rare to find and facing the threat of extinction, but the black fleshed GI tagged chicken variety ‘Kadaknath’ is now getting popular in Kashmir valley.
Once reared only by the tribals in Madhya Pradesh, Kadaknath is not just bought but also reared by the poultry farmers in the Valley.
Muneer Ahmad, who owns the Katju Poultry Centre at Malaratta area of the city, said the black fleshed chicken variety was gradually getting popular in the Valley.
“I had heard of Kadaknath some 10 years back but then it was not easily available. Those days a pair was very expensive but now we sell them for Rs. 650 a kilogram. When I first got it here two years back from Madhya Pradesh, people were reluctant to buy it as its flesh is black in color. However, this year we received lots of buyers. We sell around 500 varieties of this chicken every month,” Muneer told The Kashmir Monitor.
He said now people had also started breeding the chicken variety.
“People have realized that Kadaknath has a high protein content and is very nutritious. While some buy to eat it, others buy pairs for breeding. Presently, I just have a pair available at my shop due to the increase in demand and I am planning to import and rear these on a large scale now,” he said.
However, several people are buying the chicken variety purely out of curiosity.
“I have a small chicken farm at home and I always lookout for new varieties. When I heard that Kadaknath is available in Srinagar, I rushed to buy it out of curiosity. Besides Malaratta, it can also be bought at Batamaloo. Its flesh is greyish black and besides having a high protein content, Kadaknath is believed to infuse vigor and energy. It also tastes good,” said Hisham, a local.
Interestingly, Kadaknath had remained in news in November last year after former Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni ordered around 2,000 chicks of the breed for his poultry farm in Ranchi.
