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Declined produce, shrinking fields worry saffron growers of Kashmir

Saffron is used as a spice in food and as a flavoring agent. In manufacturing, Saffron extracts are used as fragrance in perfumes and as dye for clothes. Image - Mehran Bhat for The Kashmiriyat

Pampore, known as a saffron town, is witnessing an uptick in construction in saffron fields, causing a decline in saffron production and shrinking land for the prized spice.

Locals from Pampore told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that land under saffron is shrinking because of residential and commercial complexes coming up in saffron fields.

For this reason, many growers have switched to other crops in the absence of facilities and admin’s non-seriousness towards the promotion of the saffron

Locals said that the much-hyped National Saffron Mission has not yielded results as the authorities were unable to make water pumps functional meant for irrigating the fields in the dry season.

Chairman Saffron Growers Association Kashmir Abdul Majeed Wani told KNO that the Manmohan Singh-led government released over 400 crores under National Saffron Mission to provide growers with better facilities.

However, the mission could not achieve its target as the irrigation system remained incomplete, he said. This, according to him, prompted many to switch to other crops.

Wani said that since 2014 most of the growers have lost interest in Saffron and the last three years have seen a decline in production.

According to official data, saffron production has decreased from 16.45 metric tonnes to 0.02 metric tonnes in the last five years in Kashmir.

He also highlighted the conversion of saffron fields saying people are constructing complexes, and houses amid the ban.

He appealed to the government to come up with a seed nursery so that growers can get seeds there to continue growing saffron—(KNO)

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