The government’s summary of the National Mission on Saffron (NMS) highlights a major achievement, especially regarding the irrigation infrastructure and revitalizing saffron land on 2,548 hectares.
This is a positive outcome, but it should be considered part of the larger effort to restore the iconic saffron industry of Kashmir, which has undergone a prolonged drought for so many years from climate change and market considerations, The mission, which sought to return saffron to Jammu and Kashmir through irrigations schemes like sprinklers and borewells, has produced significant gains for some farmers.
Saffron is a very water-intensive food product, so irregular precipitation and declining groundwater levels have always reduced yields. Resourcing and revitalizing thousands of hectares demonstrates targeted, demonstrable interventions can lead to positive change.
In addition to irrigation, NMS’s investment in input quality, farmer education and implementation of modern saffron farming techniques indicate a progressive approach. For a mission called NMS, success relates to land and sustained improvements in yields and profitability, but of course, climate variability intervenes and threatens production, requiring diversification of farming practices.
Most important from the government is to finally instil confidence in farmers that irrigation projects and report allocation standing issues would be managed or at least made some headway in order to regain trust in what the NMS would provide farmers that other organizations have not could dramatically change farmers saffron world or saffron industry.
Furthermore, if they invested in climate tolerant saffron varieties and precision farming, they would have future-proofed saffron agriculture given climate change.
Moving forward, we need on-ground perspectives from growers, farmers, etc. to develop policies to help deals with challenges, etc. Unique progress, no doubt, has happened through the national mission on saffron, but not the destination point.
This is not a crop, saffron is cultural heritage and economic engine for Kashmir. Now that the mission planted the seeds of saffron revival, the seeds need to be nurtured to grow to full bloom.
The government continue to build on these gains, rather, with long-term vision and substantial support, and accountability would certainly have saffron thrive again.
