Week-long cattle fair begins in HP's Mandi district

The week-long, state-level Nalwar cattle fair began here under Sunder Nagar sub-division on Monday.

The fair was inaugurated in the presence of Mandi Divisional Commissioner Vikas Labroo, who was the chief guest, officials said.

"This is the biggest cattle fair in north India. Cattle from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir are brought here for sale or exchange. Transaction worth crores is recorded every year," Labroo said.

As per the traditional practice, a colourful procession was taken out from PWD Rest House in Sundernagar to Nagaun Khud.

With passage of time, the dependence on bullock has reduced but in hilly areas, people we still dependant on animals for agriculture, he added.

The number of animals recorded in the fair is increasing every year, he said.