SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government is working on a plan to revive the saffron development mission under the Jammu and Kashmir Saffron and Integrated Production Programme (JK-SIPP), Agriculture Minister Javid Ahmad Dar said on Wednesday, admitting that the earlier mission had not been implemented as envisaged.
Dar said the government was identifying areas requiring intervention and consulting agricultural scientists and experts to address the challenges faced by saffron growers and improve cultivation.
“It is true that the mission was not carried out as it should have been. There are several problems, and I would not like to go into the details,” the minister said.
He identified limited landholdings among farmers and difficulties in managing agricultural activities as some of the challenges affecting the implementation of the earlier programme.
The minister said consultations were under way with senior scientists from the Agriculture Department and the concerned university to identify measures for reviving the sector. The government also planned to discuss the matter with the concerned MLA before formulating a comprehensive policy to address the problems faced by saffron growers.
“We are trying to rejuvenate it under JK-SIPP. We have identified some areas under the programme and are making efforts to improve the situation,” he said.
Dar said the proposed revival efforts would draw on scientific inputs and modern technology to improve agricultural productivity.
On agricultural research and innovation, he said the government was providing financial support to the Agriculture Department and the university to strengthen research and promote modern technologies among farmers.
He added that special camps were being organised to familiarise farmers with new agricultural innovations and ensure that institutional research translated into practical benefits at the grassroots level.
Highlighting the university’s achievements, Dar said its patents had received international recognition and its research performance and rankings had improved considerably over the past four to five years.
On farm mechanisation, the minister said the government had received a considerable number of applications from farmers and was working to meet the demand through available schemes. He added that a five-year scheme was being implemented to achieve the targets in the sector.
