Saffron on revival route with WB project

The homegrown saffron production has decreased from 16 metric tonne annually to 6.5 metric tonne and the land under saffron in the Valley has decreased from 5,707 hectares in 1997 to 3,010 hectares in 2006-2007.

In Iran,the world leaders in saffron production,the area under saffron cultivation has burgeoned from 21,000 to 47,000 hectares and its production has gone up from 135 metric tonne to 238 metric tonne per year.

“The decrease in saffron production started in 1999 due to severe drought in the Valley,” said a senior research scientist at SKUAST-K,Dr Firdous Ahmed Nehvi.

He cited a number of reasons for it. “The growers have been growing saffron without any technological interference. Root rot,a fungal disease,too damaged the crop a lot,” said Dr Nehvi. Other reasons include traditional practices of cultivation,non-availability of quality corms,nutrient starvation of soil,severe moisture stress due to erratic rainfall,poor harvest practices,unorganised marketing systems that resulted in low prices,and adulteration of aboriginal Kashmiri saffron with spurious saffron.

“A survey carried out on the soils where saffron is grown found nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium in medium concentration,” said Dr Nehvi.

About 22 scientists are working on this three-year project and a total of 250 farmers have been selected for the same. “Each of these farmers has to give one kanal of land for the purpose of experiment. Saffron produced from their fields under scientific and controlled conditions will be sold under a special brand,” he said.

“The brand will be owned by the university and the farmers and the saffron will be certified and sold by us directly. We are linking all channels — from production to consumption — now. This was not in place earlier.”

The university is also researching on which crops to grow with saffron. “We have seen the compatibility of saffron with almonds,but that of apple and other fruits are yet to be seen. We need to find out if planting apple in saffron fields could causes diseases like root rot,”said Dr Nehvi.