Spice Park soon at Pampore & implementation of National Saffron Mission in Kashmir

Scoop News September 05, 2010

Srinagar, September 05 (Scoop News) – The Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Hassan Mir has announced that a Spice Park would be set up by the Spice Board of India at Pampore, to provide better marketing facilities to the saffron growers besides checking the sale of substandard and spurious saffron in the market. He said Rs. 373 crore are being spent under this scheme during first four years of the scheme.

The Minister was addressing a Saffron Growers awareness camp held here today. The camp, organized by the Agriculture Department, was aimed to sensitize the saffron growers about the benefits of National Saffron Mission launched by the Government recently in the State.

Minister of State for Agriculture Javaid Ahmad Dar, MLA, Pampore. Mir Zahoor Ahmad, Director Agriculture Kashmir, Mian Abdul Majeed besides senior officers of Agriculture Department were present on the occasion.

The Minister said that 3785 hectares of saffron land would be brought under this scheme in the first phase. Impressing upon the Saffron Growers to produce qualitative saffron in order to revive this industry, the Minister said that 30,000 kanals of saffron land would be provided irrigation facility this year. He said Government would provide Rs. 26 thousand for per kanal to the farmers for replacement of seedlings to ensure further increase in the saffron production. He said under this scheme water pumps would be installed in the area to provide proper irrigation facilities to the saffron fields.

He said agriculture sector has vast employment generation potential provided agriculture activity is made profitable. He said 50% subsidy would be provided for installing sprinkler sets in the saffron fields, which costs Rs. 50,000 per set.

The Minister said that Saffron is the heritage of the State, adding that the need of the hour is to initiate steps for its spurious besides increasing productivity and improving its quality. He said the saffron of Jammu and Kashmir has its own identity in the global market, adding that Government would provide all requisite facilities to the growers for producing qualitative saffron in the State. He said that Government has enacted a law to check the sale of substandard and superiors saffron in the market, which has badly damaged the credibility and interests of genuine growers.

Mir said that 500 farmers would be taken to foreign countries like Iran, Spane and France to acquaint them about the technologies being applied by the farmers of these countries in the saffron fields. He said 16 saffron growers would be taken to foreign countries this year.

Javaid Ahmad Dar while speaking on the occasion sought cooperation of the saffron growers in implementing the National Saffron Mission in the State effectively. He said this industry has suffered a lot due to lack of proper attention and called for rejuvenation of this sector. He said that country has to import saffron to meet the domestic demand of saffron. He said Central has approved this scheme to increase the saffron production in the State so that the country demand is met.

He said that Jammu and Kashmir is the only State which produces saffron, adding that the need is to utilize all sources for increasing the production of qualitative saffron in the State. He said several measures have been initiated to ensure better prices of saffron. He said Spice Park would provide marketing facilities to the growers for getting desired prices of their produce.

Zahoor appreciated the role of the Minister for getting this project sanctioned from Center. He said it is a great achievement for the State, which would help in transforming the socio economic condition of the farmers associated with this sector.

Earlier, Director Agriculture, Mian Abdul Majeed and experts of SKUAST gave resume of the scheme and asked growers to come forward and avail full benefits of this scheme.

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