Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Nov 2: As the State Government has failed to implement multi-crore National Saffron Mission, the saffron production has dropped by 60% in South Kashmir’s Pampore Town this year.
The saffron, a small purple flower that blooms every autumn in Pampore, has become victim of unplanned urbanization and Government’s failure to implement the National Saffron Mission.
In order to increase saffron production and to bring more land under its cultivation, the Government of India sanctioned an ambitious Rs 400 crore National Saffron Mission in 2010.
The scheme was launched by the Centre in partnership with the State with the aim of raising production from 3 to 5 kilogram per hectare but even after six years the Government has not been able to kick off the scheme. In six years, the State Government has drilled nearly 90 bore wells needed for the irrigation of saffron fields but majority of them are defunct.
Officials in Department of Agriculture said that the mission envisaged establishing 109 bore wells with 100 per cent project support. “But till date, only 90 bore wells have been dug and only six of them are fully functional”, said an official.
A saffron grower, Abdul Ahad Kuchay, said: “I used to get more than two kilograms of saffron every year but this time I don’t think I would even get 300 grams.”
“The mission has destroyed our crop more than anything. We were getting good produce by practicing the traditional ways of farming. Saffron is a kind of crop that grows in natural conditions. Any interference with it destroys the crop. They (officials) asked us to use cow dung, fertilizers and other things. But all these methods have been unsuccessful”, said Kuchay.
The president of Saffron Growers Association, Abdul Majid Bhat, said that the Government’s inability to aware the farmers about the modern farming techniques and lackadaisical approach to make irrigation pumps functional has put the whole mission in tatters.
When asked about the present drastic decrease in the production, he said the drought and untimely tilling has affected the production. “Had the bore wells been made functional on time, things would have been different. I irrigated my 4-5 kanals of land myself and received a good produce,” Bhat added.
According to growers, there has been a drastic decline in the production of saffron for last three years which has ‘forced’ them to sell their land.
Minister of State and Pampore legislator, Zahoor Ahmed Mir said the ongoing unrest in the Kashmir has hit the Saffron Mission badly. “Like every other sector, the Saffron Mission was also hit by the unrest. The Mission was in its final stage and six bore wells were ready to irrigate the saffron field but the employees who were supposed to take care of things could not move amid this uncertainty.”
“Apart from this our 22 bore wells are functional and we have employed people there who are taking care of those wells. We have no dearth of money and once the situation eases a bit we will start it again”, Minister of State added.
Follow our WhatsApp channel