Srinagar, Oct 5: The Jammu and Kashmir government has admitted that saffron cultivation in the state faces the threat of extinction unless steps are taken, as the cultivable area and production have decreased by half in a decade's time.
The cultivable area of saffron declined from 5,707 hectares in 1997-98 to 3,010 hectares in 2006-07, records of the state Agriculture Ministry have shown.
The ministry, headed by Ghulam Hassan Mir, has informed the state's legislative council that the crop, considered the most expensive spice, faces the "threat of extinction".
The state government also acknowledged that the productivity of saffron has decreased from 16 metric tonnes to 8.5 metric tonnes.
It said the average saffron yield in Kashmir is 2.32 kilograms per hectare.
The government said production is expected to increase to 5 kilograms per hectare, double the present yield, after implementation of the National Mission on Saffron for Economic Revival of J&K Saffron.
Under the mission, Rs 372.18 crore will be spent over a period of four years, beginning 2010-11, in all the saffron-growing districts of the state, including Pulwama, Budgam and Srinagar in Kashmir and Kishtwar in Jammu. PTI
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