The Minister for Agriculture Production, Javed Ahmad Dar on Tuesday informed that the National Mission on Saffron (NMS) has made significant advancements, particularly strengthening of the irrigation system, rejuvenating 2,548.75 hectares of saffron land.
The Minister while replying to a question by Justice Hasnain Masoodi in the Assembly said that the government has successfully halted decline in saffron area and area under this crop has remained 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.
He said the productivity has enhanced from 2.50 kg/ha in 2009-10 to a maximum recorded productivity of 4.42 kg/ha in rejuvenated areas during 2023.
The Minister said the National Mission on Saffron 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.
He said that 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.
Dar said the Committee formed by the Government has found that 77 bore-wells are not functional for a long time.
The Minister said that a 400 Crore project had been sanctioned during 2010-11 by Ministry of Agriculture and Corporation, Government of India for boosting Saffron production and economic revival.
He informed that the establishment of Saffron Park/IIKSTC has helped farmers realize enhanced prices, increasing from Rs. 80,000 per kg to Rs. 2,20,000 per kg 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.
“Through the mission, new technologies were implemented via Indian Institute of Kashmir Saffron and Technology Center (IIKSTC), leading to an increase in saffron colour quality from 8 percent (traditional drying) to 16 percent (scientific drying),” the minister said.
He said the Mission addressed the issue of intermediaries exploiting saffron growers by implementing e-auctions at IIKSTC. This ensured fair farm-gate prices and enabled transparent transactions across India, effectively reducing the influence of intermediaries.
The Minister said that the Agriculture Department has made concerted efforts to combat disruptive activities of un-desirable element among the saffron growing farmers which included damaging of sprinkler irrigation systems/bore-wells. The presence of Real-Estate players/land grabbers pose a significant threat to the success of saffron cultivation, in the area, complaints have also been lodged with the concerned revenue officials, he added.
While monitoring and evaluating the activities carried out under the Mission, the minister said it is clearly suggestive that majority of the objectives and outcomes have been achieved under the Mission, however, a couple of objectives have remained incomplete due to various factors.
“The Department has consistently involved local leadership and saffron growers in policy decisions to benefit farmers. Committees comprising saffron farmers, traders, civil society members, and other stakeholders have been formed to ensure their views are considered,” added the minister.