ARTICLE PRESENTED BY SHEIKH JALEEL {md/ceo of
jaybee agro industries pvt.ltd/executive member of fallah behbood committee
saffron town Pampore}
Death and
attempt to murder of our heritage and ancestral cash crop saffron:
Pampore:: Pampore is well know as "Land of
Gold (Saffron)". The renowed town is full of historical as well as
archeological sites.
Pampore town is famous all over the world for the
saffron cultivation which is mainly grown in the Karewa lands of Pampore, and
its adjacent areas like chandhara,wuyan,sona krend,and many others.
Kashmiri saffron is said to be the best in the
world, a product of the ideal light, climate and soil conditions. It has an
unmistakable fragrance and a distinct and unique deep red orange/gold colour
together with a full rich flavour. The crocus flower is a lovely shade of
pastel purple which is harvested in a two week period in early November.
According
to Greek mythology, handsome mortal Crocos fell in love with the beautiful
nymph Smilax. But alas, his favors were rebuffed by Smilax, and he was turned
into a beautiful purple crocus flower.The word saffron derives from the Arab
word zafaran, meaning yellow, and it was mentioned as far back as 1500 b.c. in
many classical writings, as well as in the Bible. Further derivations come from
the Old French safran, Medieval Latin safranum, and Middle English
safroun.Saffron is harvested from the fall-flowering plantCrocus sativus, a
member of the Iris family. It is native to Asia Minor, where it has been cultivated
for thousands of years to be used in medicines, perfumes, dyes, and as a
wonderful flavoring for foods and beverages.The red-gold threads were also
highly prized by pharoahs and kings, yet large amounts produce deathly narcotic
effects.Saffron has been used medicinally to reduce fevers, cramps and enlarged
livers, and to calm nerves. It has also been used externally to for bruises,
rheumatism, and neuralgia. (Warning! Do not use medicinally without consulting
your physician.) Saffron is one of the few things that
truly is worth its weight in gold. This product of the crocus flower adds not
only pungent and aromatic flavor to foods, but also a beautiful golden color.
It is native to Asia Minor, where it has been cultivated for thousands of years
to be used in medicines, perfumes, dyes, and as a wonderful flavoring for foods
and beverages. The history of saffron cultivation
reaches back more than 3,000 years.The wild precursor of domesticated saffron
crocus was Crocus cartwrightianus. Human cultivators bred wild specimens by
selecting for unusually long stigmas. Thus, a sterile mutant form of C.
cartwrightianus, C. sativus, emerged in late Bronze Age Crete.Saffron is the
most precious and most expensive spice in the world. Therefore, having any saffron
is better than having no saffron.but now a days it seems the death of our
hereditary cash crop saffron due to various factors:
1. One distinct geographical area in
Kashmir famous for its production of saffron is the Pampore-green belt. It has
been witnessing a highly land grabbing,digging of karewas.using modern
techniques to transfer its soil form one place to another from the various
areas like wuyan,tulbagh,chandhara and now as according to the various
researchs that land is not now fertile and comfortable for its cultivation.
2. one of the prime reasons is the industrial units
which have come up in the area since 1982. The smoke and dust particles exuding
from these factories stagnate in the local atmosphere for a longer time because
the area is surrounded by high mountains fromtwo sides in the east and north.
Since the normal wind in Kashmir Valley blows from west to east,ActionAid’s
investigations in the area haverevealed that the smoke remains trapped for
alonger time, increasing the temperature in its lower atmosphere because of
larger amounts of warmer gases present in the air. The absence of any tree cover
over the surrounding mountains compounds the problem, the presence of which
could have offset the excess carbon content in the air.Although normally in
hotter regions aerosols are believed to have a cooling effect on the lower environment,
in the case of a cold region like Kashmir, investigations have shown.
3. The rapid decrease of land
available for saffron production prompted the state government to pass a law
banning the sale of or use of saffron land for any other purposes. But despite
passing the law to protect the saffron land, the state government recently
acquired nearly 140 acres of saffron land to be used for the construction of a
paramilitary central reserve police force.
4. With growing urbanization in
Pampore belt of Pulwama district in South Kashmir the Saffron industry is
facing grave threat in the state as Government has failed to put standing laws
into practice to stop constructions on the saffron land. Recently
mr.Shailender Kumar Director DAC Government of India who visited Saffron belt
in Pampore area and issued on spot directions to state authorities for formal
handing over and taking over of land for Saffron park and Quality Testing lab
at Dussu and same be furnished to National Horticulture Board in order to
enable the construction work on park and lab. During the deliberations it was
also proposed that 72 tube wells should be taken up for construction to provide
timely irrigation facilities to the saffron. There has however been cent
percent achievement in vermin compost units and in demonstration plots during
2011. The Mission could revolutionize the saffron industry provided the
conversion of the land is stopped by Government. The much talked about National
Saffron Mission is likely to face the rough weather in this belt in case the
rapid urbanization is not contained and serious steps are not taken by the
Government in this regard.no doubt NATIONAL SAFFRON MISSION helped a lot to the
people but not even a single awareness camp is not being organized to aware the
people about its main aims that is to grow the saffron more organically.Villagers
in Pampore allege that authorities have failed to take the necessary steps to
promote saffron cultivation and have had a hand in decreasing the amount of
land available to grow saffron – a move that has hindered the local economy.
This, combined with the drought-like conditions of the last few years has
forced many growers to sell or abandon their land. From
7000 hectares in Pampore tehsil , the land under saffron cultivation has
reduced to 3600 hectares.While before few decades one hectare of land would
yield around 10 kilograms of saffron, at present only around two kilograms per
hectare are produced.Officially, Kashmir was producing around 40 tonnes of but
now it has come down to around 12 tonnes.
5. Another factor is the hpcl plant and the gas
turbines in Pampore that releases nitrogeneous effects and pollutes our pious
land which also leads us to decline in the yielding of saffron.
Many other causes which leads to destruction of our
ancestral cash crop saffron is the fraudsters and fake dealers in the market
which are not being registered by the govt.of jammu and Kashmir.we are not
against the EXIM policies of govt that Iranian saffron should be totally banned
to import in Kashmir but the buyer seller meetings,exhibitions should be
organised so that it could give the promotion to our ancestral industry.
It is not opposition to the government of india but
it is a request to safeguard our heritage because 90% of the people of Pampore
earn their livelihood with this God gift saffron.
SAVE AND SAFEGUARD THE ECONOMY OF PEACEFUL TOWN OF KASHMIR.
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