Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Oct 3: After a disappointing saffron season in 2024, when production dropped drastically due to lack of rainfall, Kashmir’s saffron growers are finally hopeful of a revival this year.
Adequate showers during the crucial growth phase in September have raised expectations of a significantly better harvest in Pampore and its adjoining saffron belts.
The farmers said that the crop is showing visible signs of recovery, with healthier bulbs and longer soil moisture retention.
“Last year was devastating; flowers hardly bloomed. But this season looks promising. If we get one more spell of rain, the yield may reach 80 per cent, which will be a blessing for us,” said Abdul Majeed Wani, president of the Kashmir Saffron Growers Association.
Growers in Pampore, famously known as the “saffron town of Kashmir”, share similar optimism as they said that plants look much healthier this year, and the bloom is likely to be stronger.”
Another farmer, Ashiq Hussian from Chandhara, said, “Even if the production reaches 70-80 per cent, it will give us some relief after many bad seasons.”
However, the optimism comes with underlying worries. Saffron cultivation in Kashmir has been steadily declining, with farmers struggling against climate change, reduced irrigation, and, most alarmingly, the smuggling of saffron corms — the very foundation of the crop.
Just two months ago, police and agriculture officials in Awantipora foiled a major attempt to smuggle 1.5 quintals of saffron corms outside the Valley.
Experts say such practices severely harm local farming by creating shortages during the planting season.
“Saffron is not just an economic crop but part of our cultural identity. If corm smuggling continues, our heritage is at stake,” they said.
Government data reflects the challenges: production fell from 17.33 MT in 2021 to 14.87 MT in 2022, and marginally improved to 14.94 MT in 2023 and in 2024 it was just around 30 per cent of the normal production.
While initiatives under the National Mission on Saffron have helped rejuvenate some fields, experts caution that these gains are undermined when corms are illegally siphoned off.
They demanded intervention of the government to make irrigation facilities functional and take steps for the revival of this project.
