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| `From 5707 hectares saffron fields have shrunk to 3010 hectares' | | Cement dust kills Kashmir's golden crop | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Sept 7: Kashmir's ‘golden crop’ (Saffron) desperately needs a fresh lease of life. More than a dozen cement factories and illegal constructions have wreaked havoc with the fields that produce the crop.
As many as 300 villages in and around Pampore cultivate the ‘golden crop’. But the saffron fields that won the State handsome revenue are fast shrinking. The growers ascribe reasons to massive road widening and the number of cement factories that have come up in the area.
Illegal constructions on saffron fields have also affected the crop adversely. A grower, Gulzar Ahmad said, "If steps are not taken, like paddy fields, saffron fields will also disappear.''
From 5,707 hectares in 1997, the saffron fields shrunk to a worrying 3,010 hectares. And from 16 metric tons, it has annually come down to six metric tons.
However, the growers are hopeful of a revival in the coming years. Mohammad Shafi Wani, who heads the Saffron Growers Association, said the harvest has not been good in the past few years. "Despite, decline in the crop, the rates in both national and international markets were good. And the fresh package is going to give new lease of life to the growers. '' He said the results could be witnessed in coming years. "Now Government has to ensure that funds should reach to genuine growers.''
The Kashmiri saffron is the world's most expensive by weight and sells for anywhere between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh a kilogram.
Fortunately the Union Government, the State Government and its Tourism Department are putting in hectic efforts to revive the crop.
A grower, Posha Begum said, "Saffron cultivation is the main means of livelihood in South Kashmir. Unfortunately the production was going down every year. With Central Government's fresh efforts, the revival program is on track.''
Dr Farooq Lone who teaches in the SKUAST said that cement dust and lack of irrigation facilities had caused extensive damage to the crop. According to him, the per hectare saffron yield is six to seven kilograms in rest of the world. However, in Kashmir it has come down to less than a kilogram,"
He also urged the Government to provide appropriate irrigation facilities to the growers especially in August and September which are crucial months for the crop. |
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