Should we wind up our business? Kerala's cattle market on Modi govt's ban

Over 1,000 cattle used to be sold at Chelari weekly market. After the ban, only 300 were on sale

Heavy monsoon showers Tuesday morning brought respite from the scorching summer, but it did nothing to soothe hundreds of cattle traders at the weekly market in Chelari in Kerala’s Malappuram district.

To them, the future of cattle trade looks bleak after the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests banned the sale of cattle for non-agricultural purposes, including slaughter, last Friday.

They were proved right when the Chelari market opened Tuesday for the first time after the ban was issued. Traders could not bring enough cattle from neighbouring states and the market looked half-empty from the morning. Even small-time farmers failed