Saffron cultivation and challenges

in Jammu and Kashmir

Presented by Hakim Danish
 Contents r
Introduction
Production of saffron
Production & distribution of saffron
Cultivation of saffron in jandk
Production & distribution of saffron
Decline of saffron production in j & k
Threats and challenges
Articles
Conclusion
References
 Introduction

Saffron-an important crop of Kashmir valley, has been grown since ages
The word “Saffron” has been derived from an Arabic word “Zafran”
meaning yellow
Saffron is a legendary crop of Jammu and Kashmir produced on well
drained karewa soils of Kashmir and Kishtwar where ideal climatic
conditions are available for good growth and flower production
Total world production of saffron is around 300 tons per year. Iran,
India, Spain and Greece are the major saffron producing countries with
Iran occupying the maximum area and contributing about 88% of
world’s saffron production
The leading saffron growing countries like Iran, Spain and Greece with
intensive production technologies are able to achieve higher production
and productivity than our productivity and posing great threat to our
saffron industry as imports are increasing every year
Saffron in J&K is primarily cultivated in four districts
(Pulwama, Budgam, Srinagar, Kishtwar) with 86%
saffron farming system in heritage site of Pampore
over 3200 hectares
High quality saffron is produced in the areas which are
having warm and dry summers, followed by cold
winters
In district Pulwama the main cultivation is confined in
the karewa’s of Pampore region, popularly known as
“Saffron Town”
Roles of agriculture on economy
Agriculture has a very prominent place in the economic development of the Jammu and
Kashmir where about 70 Per cent of population is directly or indirectly getting their
livelihood from agriculture and allied activities
As per 2013-14 Economic Survey of Jammu and Kashmir agriculture has a tremendous share
of about 19.96 percent in Gross State Domestic Product
Jammu and Kashmir produces saffron with the production of 91.24 quintals having an
average land holding of 0.56 ha((Digest of Statistics, 2008).Kashmir has the vast scope
and enough potential for the production of saffron
A large chunk of population more than 16000 farm families of 226 villages are associated
with this crop and most often it has a deep implications on their socio- economic conditions
As being a labour intensive practice it involves women from first stage to the last stage of
harvesting. In 2014, the Himalayan state produced about 11 tons of saffron in the same year
1Kg of pure Kashmiri Keser was selling at INR2,50,000/-to 2,75,000/- in the domestic
market
Its role in the economic development firstly to the people who have a direct linkage with
this crop and lastly its contribution to the state economy can be estimated in a very
simplistic way
Cultivation practices of saffron in j & k
Saffron in the Valley is being cultivated in the Karewas
of Pampore and Bhaderwah district of Jammu and
Kashmir & the places where we can find the loamy soils
which suits the growth of Saffron. Saffron is a perennial
crop, lasting for about 10-15 years after sowing
A new cultivator who has a plan to go for Saffron
cultivation starts preparing the land one year before the
sowing of corms
Farmers optioned that, before going for Saffron
cultivation, the land should be cultivated by oilseeds, in
a year before sowing Saffron corms
When the spring season (South) in the Valley starts,
the concrete preparations for the Saffron cultivation
also gets started, by ploughing the land in the starting
month of spring season (March or April)
 After ploughing , a good quantity of green manure
(farmyard manure) is applied (30-40tonnes per
hectare)
 The farmers are continuously engaged in their fields
to get the better results
The seeds are generally being sown at the depth of about
8cm to 11cm (4 to 6 inches), however, there is not any strict
rule for the planting of seed corms
Plough method is practiced by the large number of farmers
as it is easy and less expensive method because labour force
needed in sowing gets expensive
The bed of Saffron seeds is called as “Poshaware” in Kashmiri
After the plucking of flowers in very first year of cultivation,
the Saffron fields are being left untouched upto the advent of
new spring (March/April)
The flower picking or harvesting season of Saffron crop is a
very short season, as it starts nearly in first week of
November upto 20th November
A good flower collector can collect as much as 3000
flowers a day and these flowers are collected in special
kind of baskets made of willow. The plucking is done
on alternate days or after every 2 days, depending upon
the production and yield
Production and distribution of saffron
As we know that the Kashmiri Saffron is famous for its
quality
Pampore area of Pulwama district is considered as the
center for its production, it cultivation is distributed to
the adjoining areas of Pampore
In 2015, the area under Saffron crop was 3674 hectares
and production was 9.6 million tonnes with the yield
rate of 2.61kg/ha
 Waning of Saffron Production in Jammu
and Kashmir
Some of the reasons behind this waning trend of Saffron in State
of Jammu and Kashmir are given under:
Non-availability of good quality corms
Lack of adequate irrigation facilities
Lack of technology
Lack of optimum profit for cultivators
Absence of good fertilizers and disease control pests
Non-availability of good quality corms
Good quality and disease-free corms result in the good
production of crop
A flowering corm contains 10-12 buds and each
sprouting bud produces a cormel
In Kashmir the corm seeds which are sown mostly in
the fields are of about 2cm in diameter and 10g in
weight
 The farmers have non-availability of sound quality
corms that is why they go for the low standard corms.
Due to which the yield from these corms is low
Lack of adequate irrigation facilities
Saffron crop needs the time to time showers and mostly
the crop has need of water during its initial stages
The State of Jammu and Kashmir faced an acute
drought in 1999-2003 and during this period
productivity was reduced from 3.12kg/ha to 1.57kg/ha.
However, in 2004-05, favourable rainfall improved the
productivity to 2.96 kg/ha
Government under the National Saffron Mission, set up
in 2010, to rejuvenate Saffron cultivation in Jammu and
Kashmir, assured the farmers to provide the irrigation
facility at their fields
 Lack of technology
The Saffron is being grown by indigenous technique. To improve
the yield and productivity this sector also need the latest
technology for improvement
The outdated technology is also considered as the cause of
fertility loss of soil and in decrease in production
 There is also the need of educating and awaring the farmers
about the post harvesting methods and use of techniques for
storing of the crop
Kashmir is lacking in terms of production, with an average yield
of 2.23kg/ha as compared to 8.24kg/ha in Spain and 10. 0kg/ha in
Italy
with the help of modern techno tools the production can be
increased, and the farmer will get benefit from it and will make
cultivation economically viable and ecologically sustainable
 Threats and challenges
Horticulture occupies a very significant position in the agricultural economy of the state
Saffron is a principal horticulture crop which has created utility and market value
But the cultivation of saffron in j & k does not interest growers anymore for a number of
reasons like decline in production , lack of technology etc
Several measures were taken by the government to boost saffron production in the last
few years
In terms of production , saffron is an important cash crop possessing anti-cancer and
healing nutritional properties
One of the biggest threat faced by saffron crop is a continuous low production and
productivity levels , high labor cost ,inconsistent climatic condition and marketing
problems
Another threat to saffron market then and now is the deliberate brazen human action
known as adulteration which has hit the business of saffron very hard
Internationally as well as nationally Kashmiri saffron is known for its quality which
somehow is lost because of adulteration
Another threat to the saffron industry is the reverse migration
Reverse migration is one of the main causes responsible for area shrinkage of saffron
cultivation in Pampore
Articles
 Conclusion
In Kashmir, the cultivation of saffron has been started from the very
ancient times nearly from about 750 A.D
The study revealed that Kashmiri Saffron had lost its quality and had
shown a waning trend in the productivity and yield from last 20 to 25
years
Saffron is being cultivated mainly in the karewas of Pampore and its
adjoining areas
Soil in the Karewas has also lost some of its fertility due to the old
techniques used by farmers in their fields
Other factors responsible for decline in production are non-
availability of some basic facilities to farmers
Variation in precipitation level has also added a fuel in the waning
trend of Saffron produce
Finally, we can say that by providing the basic facilities to the
cultivators which have been discussed here can result in the increase
of production of the crop
References
THANK YOU