Srinagar: CPI(M) leader and MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has expressed deep concern over the continuous decline in saffron production across Jammu and Kashmir, urging the administration to take urgent measures to support growers and safeguard the region’s prized heritage crop.
Tarigami said this year’s poor output has caused widespread distress among thousands of families whose livelihoods depend on saffron cultivation. He attributed the fall in production mainly to inadequate irrigation facilities and the prolonged dry spell this season.
“The growers are facing huge losses. A bad season not only affects their annual income but threatens the very existence of this heritage crop. The government needs to intervene on priority,” Tarigami said.
Highlighting the plight of saffron farmers in the Karewas of Pampore, Kashmir’s main saffron-growing region, he said the area continues to rely heavily on rainfall due to the lack of a reliable irrigation system. The absence of water supply and poor-quality corms, he noted, have collectively contributed to the decline in yield.
The MLA urged the administration to establish a functional and dependable irrigation network in saffron fields without further delay. He also demanded an immediate assessment of losses suffered by growers this season and the provision of adequate compensation.
Referring to the National Mission on Saffron, Tarigami lamented the slow progress on irrigation infrastructure under the project. He called for all borewells and sprinkler systems developed under the mission to be made fully operational so that farmers can benefit on the ground.
“Irrigation is the backbone of saffron cultivation. Unless the borewells and sprinkler systems are functional, the growers cannot benefit,” he said.
Tarigami further noted that climate variability is increasingly affecting saffron production in the Valley but maintained that timely intervention and scientific management could protect the crop from further decline.
“The future of Kashmir saffron depends on prompt and practical support on the ground,” he added.
