National mission for Saffron: Govt halts decrease in areas of cultivation
Agriculture minister Javed Ahmad Dar informed the house that the National Mission on Saffron has made significant advancements, particularly strengthening of the irrigation system, rejuvenating 2,548.75 hectares of Saffron land area and halting the decline in area under this crop, which remains at 3,715 hectares (3665 Ha in Kashmir division and 50 Ha in Kishtwar) since 2010-11, with more areas identified for expansion supported by HADP
Saffron, the golden crop of Kashmir, is getting a new lease of life thanks to the National Mission for Saffron and the latest spice park established in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
The National Saffron Mission--a centrally-funded ₹410-crore project--was launched in 2010 to rejuvenate saffron cultivation in Kashmir.
Agriculture minister Javed Ahmad Dar informed the house that the National Mission on Saffron has made significant advancements, particularly strengthening of the irrigation system, rejuvenating 2,548.75 hectares of Saffron land area and halting the decline in area under this crop, which remains at 3,715 hectares (3665 Ha in Kashmir division and 50 Ha in Kishtwar) since 2010-11, with more areas identified for expansion supported by HADP.
“The productivity has enhanced from 2.50 kilogram/ha in 2009-10 to a maximum recorded productivity of 4.42 kilogram/ha in rejuvenated areas during 2023,” he said while reply to a question of National Conference legislator Hasnain Masoodi.
Dar said that the mission initiated a plan to construct a network of 124 community bore-wells.
“Each bore-well is intended to serve an area of 30 hectares, connected to sprinkler irrigation systems designed to support the irrigation needs of a total of 3,665 hectares of saffron fields. 85 bore-wells have been handed over to the agriculture department, however, efforts to construct the remaining 39 bore-wells have faced significant obstacles. Despite multiple invitations for tenders, there has been consistently poor participation in the tendering process. This lack of response has resulted in a substantial delay in further developing the necessary irrigation infrastructure,” he said, adding that the committee formed by the government has found that 77 bore-wells are not functional for a long time.
The minister said the establishment of Saffron Park/IIKSTC has helped farmers realise enhanced prices, increasing from ₹ 80,000 per kilogram to ₹ 2,20,000 per kilogram during 2021-22.
“Implementation of various scientific post-harvest processing methods increased saffron stigma recovery from 22g/kg to 28g/kg (an increase of 6g/kg) during 2021-22.,” Dar informed the House and said that through the mission, new technologies were implemented via Indian Institute of Kashmir Saffron and Technology Centre (IIKSTC), leading to an increase in saffron colour quality from 8%(traditional drying) to 16% (scientific drying).
Minister said the mission also addressed the issue of intermediaries exploiting saffron growers by implementing e-auctions at IIKSTC.
Saffron production had peaked in Kashmir in the 1990s with an annual average output of around 15.5 metric tonnes. However, it declined owing to untimely rains, drought, wanton constructions and conversion of saffron fields into commercial enterprises.
Officials say that GI tagging of Kashmir saffron and online marketing facilities at the spice park have made it easy for buyers and sellers to trade.
The ₹40-crore park has been set up as part of the National Saffron Mission.The Spice Park can store two metric tonnes of flowers for 48 hours. After the flower’s stigma, which forms the saffron, is separated, the farmers’ produce is being coded, dried scientifically and tested in the laboratory on eight quality parameters.
