Pampore, November 9: National Conference MLA from Pampore, retired Justice Hasnain Masoodi, boycotted the Kissan Mela held at the India International Kashmir Saffron Trade Centre (IIKSTC), Dusoo, on Sunday, citing the continuing decline in saffron cultivation and what he described as the failure of the ₹411-crore Prime Minister’s Saffron Mission.
NC MLA from Rajpora Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din was also absent from the event. The reason for his absence was not immediately known.
The programme, organised by the Agriculture Department, was attended by Agriculture Production, Finance, Mining and Cooperatives Minister Javaid Ahmad Dar, PDP MLAs Rafiq Ahmad Naik and Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, and BJP leader Arshid Bhat.
Speaking to Kashmir Convener, Masoodi said around 129 to 130 borewells had been constructed under the Saffron Mission to provide sprinkler irrigation to growers, but none had become operational. He alleged that the infrastructure created under the scheme had failed to serve its intended purpose, adversely affecting saffron production.
Masoodi said the Agriculture Minister had visited saffron-growing areas last year, including Pampore, Lethpora, Chandhara and Khrew, and interacted with farmers. However, he said, the concerns raised during those interactions remained unresolved.
He said he had also requested Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to personally review the implementation of the Saffron Mission and prepare a comprehensive revival plan. According to Masoodi, the Chief Minister had assured him that he would examine the matter, but no review or comprehensive plan had materialised in the two years since the government took office.
Highlighting the decline in production, Masoodi said Pampore once produced around 12,500 kilograms of saffron annually, but output had fallen to approximately 1,000 kilograms last year — about five per cent of the earlier level.
He also raised concerns over the underutilisation of the IIKSTC facility, established at an investment of around ₹37 crore for saffron processing, grading and GI tagging. Despite its capacity to process and GI-tag hundreds of kilograms, the facility received only around 12 kilograms of saffron last year, he claimed.
Masoodi further said the area under saffron cultivation had shrunk considerably, putting the future of the region’s traditional crop at risk. He said the decline had affected Pampore’s economy and businesses linked to saffron cultivation and trade.
“How can we celebrate Kissan Mela when the saffron crop itself is disappearing? Pampore’s heritage crop, which once generated business worth around ₹500 crore, is facing a serious crisis,” he said.
The MLA said he raised the issue regularly during Assembly sessions, stressing that saffron was not merely a crop for Pampore but part of Jammu and Kashmir’s heritage. He also expressed concern over the alleged neglect of caretakers responsible for maintaining the borewells.
Masoodi urged the Chief Minister to order a detailed review of the Saffron Mission, examine why the irrigation infrastructure had remained non-functional and formulate a revival programme in consultation with agricultural experts, growers and other stakeholders.
“First, there should be a thorough review of the Saffron Mission, followed by a comprehensive plan involving experts and farmers. Only then can we talk about reviving this heritage crop,” he said.
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