SRINAGAR: Minister for Agriculture, Javed Ahmad Dar, said that 50 hectares (19,989.03 marlas) of saffron land in Kishtwar district have been rejuvenated under the National Mission on Saffron.
Replying to a question by Sunil Kumar Sharma in the Legislative Assembly, the Minister said that financial and technical assistance has been provided to farmers under various components of the scheme.
For the rejuvenation of 50 hectares, 5,465 beneficiaries received financial aid for saffron corms at a rate of Rs 1,265 per marla, amounting to a total subsidy of Rs 252.86 lakh. Additionally, Rs 30 lakh in subsidies was given to 100 beneficiaries for vermi-compost units, while Rs 24 lakh was provided to 48 beneficiaries for power tillers and weeders.
The Minister also informed that ten farmer training camps were organised under the National Mission on Saffron, where around 250 farmers received two-day training at an expenditure of Rs. 750 per participant.
Regarding saffron processing and marketing, he said that three Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) have been established, working on processing, packaging, and selling saffron through e-marketing platforms and buyer-seller meets across the country.
For the promotion of organic farming, nine organic clusters have been set up under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and alternate agriculture initiatives. These clusters include Organic Cluster Pochhal B2, Galhar, Garh, Ligri, Hamindrawn, Tiyari, Ishtiyari, Karthaie, and Ladder.
Each organic cluster consists of 50 farmers covering 20 hectares. A total of 450 farmers have been registered on the Participatory Guarantee Scheme (PGS) portal, receiving organic inputs for 180 hectares. Awareness camps have also been conducted to further promote organic farming in these clusters.
