Saffron production in IIOJK falls nearly 90pc, say growers
Srinagar: Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s famed saffron sector is once again staring at a severe crisis, with growers warning that this year’s output has plunged by nearly 90 percent.
According to Kashmir Media Service, farmers in Pampore — known as the “Saffron Bowl of Kashmir” — say that production this season is barely 10–15 percent of normal levels, pushing thousands of families into economic distress.
Growers expressed concern that if corrective measures are not taken immediately, the crop, which has defined Kashmir’s identity for centuries may vanish.
“This year the corms haven’t sprouted properly at all,” said Abdul Majeed Wani, President of the Saffron Growers Association, occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
He said, “Production is hardly 15 percent. It isn’t even half of last year’s crop, which itself was only about 30 percent of the normal harvest. Every year it is decreasing, and the government doesn’t seem serious about safeguarding this sector.”
Wani said the main problem lies in repeated long dry spells, lack of effective irrigation, and the poor quality of corms available in recent years.
The farmers demanded immediate provision of irrigation facilities, regular monitoring of saffron fields, stopping illegal sales, and availability of quality quorum for planting fresh seedlings.
A group of distressed farmers from Pampore said, “The revival of saffron is not just about saving the crop, it is about saving a tradition, a culture and an identity and if urgent and effective measures are not taken, there will be no saffron left in Pampore by 2030.”
