In an insightful interview with Khurshid Ahmad Ganai, a distinguished retired IAS officer with an illustrious career in top administrative positions in Jammu and Kashmir, the spotlight was firmly placed on the challenges faced by saffron growers in the region.
Ganai, known for his deep understanding of the intricate issues, engaged in a comprehensive conversation with Greater Kashmir. The discussion delved into the myriad problems confronting saffron farmers, shed light on the gravity of these issues, and explored potential solutions.
Ganai emphasised the concerns raised by saffron growers and painted a vivid picture of a looming crisis in the saffron heartland of Pampore and its neighbouring areas. Here are the excerpts from the interview.
GK. You met the saffron growers association at Lethpora yesterday on 24th September. What is your assessment of the situation as far as saffron cultivation in Pampore and adjacent areas is concerned?
KAG. We had a detailed meeting with the growers belonging to different saffron growing areas around Pampore. We got the impression that saffron cultivation is in some kind of a crisis. It is reportedly becoming less attractive economically because of a major drop in productivity over the last two decades or more and high land prices which push the growers to sell saffron land for construction to make a fast buck rather than wait for gradual and meager income from saffron cultivation. In a nutshell, over the years saffron cultivation has unfortunately become less attractive economically.
GK. But the conversion of saffron land for other purposes is probably not allowed under the law?
KAG. It is true that conversion of saffron land is still prohibited under the J&K Land Revenue Act and J&K Agrarian Reforms Act which were not repealed even after the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019, barring some specific provisions. So, it is a matter of enforcement. The UT government must closely monitor sale and conversion of saffron land and not allow conversion at any cost.
GK. It is learnt that permission for conversion of agriculture land has to be given within one month by the competent authority from the date of application and if he or she does not give it within one month, the permission is deemed to have been given?
KAG. That is exactly the problem. The UT government should revisit these new amendments. Agriculture in Jammu and Kashmir will become a dwindling activity if permission for conversion is liberalized, as has been done. How will agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, saffron cultivation prosper if agriculture land is allowed to be converted liberally without restrictions? What will be the impact on rural economy, employment and incomes? If the existing rate of conversion is allowed to continue, Kashmir Valley will lose all the agricultural land in the next twenty to thirty years and become a concrete jungle like any big city in the country. The natural beauty of Kashmir valley will also go. The UT government must work out a new housing policy to discourage the construction of big-sized residential houses and instead encourage the construction of apartment buildings and well-planned housing colonies of small-sized houses through local private builders on the hard crust karewas skirting the valley and other identified locations. New thinking has to go into housing for the future. This mad rush for the construction of big houses and shops anywhere and everywhere must be halted. It is unfortunate that our past governments also did not consider this matter seriously.
GK. What are the reasons for the drop in productivity of saffron over the years?
KAG. From our interaction with the growers it appears climate change, long spells of dry and hot weather with lesser rainfall are the main reasons. My own enquiries led me to another possible reason, high levels of dust pollution and pollution due to automobiles in the area. Pampore- Lethpora plateau should have been bypassed at the time of expansion of the National Highway but perhaps there was no input to the planners. Lethpora-Khrew-Sempora road is also dusty if I recall correctly and there is lot of truck and tipper movement on this road leading to air pollution. Dust and pollutants must have affected productivity. I am not sure whether SKUAST or the agriculture department have made any study in this regard.
GK. How can saffron cultivation be restored to its past status and how can the growers be facilitated?
KAG. The growers want arrangements for drip irrigation and the bore wells constructed under the Saffron Mission taken over and maintained by one of the engineering departments as community ownership has not succeeded. The UT Agriculture department must work out some way out in consultation with the growers to promote drip irrigation. The growers also want seed production to be done by the department or otherwise through another scheme as seed availability has become a pressing issue. Perhaps, SKAUST could also help in this. So, UT agriculture department and SKUAST must work together to work out solutions to these problems, sustainable solutions and not a one time bail out.
GK. What about adulteration of saffron and competition from saffron from Iran, Spain and other saffron producing countries?
KAG. I don’t know much about this nor did the growers mention it. However it is well known that saffron from other countries is competing with Kashmir saffron in the market. We told the growers in clear terms during our interaction that they also have responsibilities and that the days of over-dependence on government are gone. No doubt, the government will do whatever is justified and reasonable for the government to do and facilitate and that is given, but it is ultimately the growers who have to shoulder the responsibility for themselves. It is for them to make saffron cultivation an economically viable activity by addressing productivity and quality issues. And that the farmers or growers associations have a big role to play. The associations must lay down code of conduct and code of ethics for all members and then enforce such codes. To be fair to the growers, they are also in favour of revival of saffron cultivation and trade to its past glory and the ban on the conversion of saffron land. In fact they are quite worried about the various challenges to saffron cultivation in Pampore and surrounding areas. The UT government must come forward with a helping hand to save the saffron industry of Kashmir.