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Gurez, Kashmir: the fairy land of Kala Zeera

13 October 2020

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By: Farooq Ahmed and Samreen Sheikh

Srinagar: Gurez is like a fairy valley which is nestled in the Himalayas in the extreme north of Kashmir valley, producing innumerable agricultural and medicinal products.

Part of Bandipora district, Gurez Valley is about 123 kms from Srinagar and 86 kms from the Bandipore town. From Srinagar, the trip to this picturesque valley takes about 6 to 7 hours. Passing through the Razdan Pass, and then down to the Gurez valley, it is like descending into a fairy land of lush greenery, picturesque dwellings and the striking Habba Khatoon mountain peak.

Gurez is located at an attitude of 8,000 feet (2,400 m). Most people live in log and wooden houses. In the middle of the valley flows the mighty Kishan Ganga River.

Although Gurez is usually known as a visitor’s paradise for its natural beauty what is not so well known is the treasure of innumerable agricultural products, medicinal herbs and shrubs grown in its plains and the highlands.

Besides numerous agri products and medicinal plants, Gurez is famous for its Kaala Zeera (black cumin). It is a prized crop, used in variety of cuisines and medicial products. This spice is highly valued and has great market and scope for production expansion in Kashmir.

Now the good thing is that a Kala Zeera Germplasm Bank has been established at Izmarg and Dawar Stations of MAR&ES, Gurez. The idea is to preserve its unique character.

“Basically, it is an effort of SKUAST-K to collect, establish, select and conserve the local biodiversity of kala zeera in Gurez valley. Activity is a part of National Mission on Himalayan Studies funded research project on Kala Zeera” Dr Mohammad Anwar Khan, Principal Investigator told Ziraat Times.

Kala Zeera or black caraway are the seeds obtained from the plant Carum bulbocastanum. They are dark in color compared to cumin seeds, and have astringent, and very bitter taste. These aromatic seeds are rich in essential oil, and consumed like a condiment, and medicine. They are widely used as a spice, mainly for flavoring dishes.

Black Caraway is a perennial aromatic spice that besides Kashmir, is found in dry temperate regions of northwest Himalayas, alpine areas of Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal. Its main habitat is known to be Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Afghanistan and Iran.

Interestingly, the project intends to establish DNA fingerprints of each Kala Zeera accession and also to reveal the evolutionary hierarchy of Kala Zeera crop.

Presently diverse Kala Zeera accession collected from Nyle, Chorwan, Chuntiwari, Khandiyal, Khopri, Achoora etc villages of Gurez valley are being maintained at Izmarg and Dawar stations.

One of the challenges related to Kaala Zeera is the risk of its over extraction. Now many scientists and private parties are exploring growing the same zeera in other parts of Kashmir, especially in rain-fed and degraded karewa areas of Barabulla, Kupwara, Budgam and Pulwama.

Farmers attending a farmer awareness program

“Kala Zeera is so precious. It is indigenous to Gurez and is its heritage crops. We want its conservation. If its cultivation is expanded to other parts of the valley, it could help poor farmers in rain-fed areas to make some extra earning”, said Abdul Gaffar, an elder of Gurez.

“The good thing is that Kaala Zeera is mostly organic and if certified and promoted as such, it could fetch much more price for farmers and help in their economic upliftment”, Nazir Ahmed, a trader in Kaala Zeera told Ziraat Times.

Photo courtesy: Dr Mohammad Anwar Khan, MAR&ES, Gurez