Srinagar, Nov 11 (HS): Agriculture Minister Javid Ahmad Dar on Wednesday said the Jammu and Kashmir government is working on a plan to revive the Saffron Mission.

He admitted that the mission had not been implemented the way it should have been, and said the government is trying to put the Jammu and Kashmir Saffron and Integrated Production Programme (JKSIPP) back on track.

The minister was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) here.

Asked about the decline in saffron production, he said: “That is a problem. The Saffron Mission has not run the way it should have. I don’t want to go into the details.”

“The main thing is that we put a borewell on 600 kanals of land,” he said. “People here do not have much land, which has posed challenges in implementing the mission.”

“We have included some areas under the JKSIPP,” he added. “Our effort is to revive this mission afresh.”

Pampore’s National Conference MLA, Justice (retd) Hasnain Masoodi, had on November 9 questioned the government’s role in reviving saffron. He claimed that only five per cent of the crop was produced last year from more than 30,000 kanals under cultivation.

He also alleged that Rs 411 crore had been spent under the National Saffron Mission and 138 borewells dug, but that not a single one was functional. Masoodi also stayed away from the Jashn-e-Saffron event organised by the Agriculture Department at Dussu in Pampore on Sunday, which was inaugurated by Dar.

Dar said the government is in touch with senior scientists and other experts of the Agriculture Department and the agricultural university to improve farming activities.

He said another problem is that a large number of farmers associated with saffron are no longer interested in it and have started growing other crops. He said a comprehensive policy for the revival of saffron would be prepared with these farmers and the Pampore MLA on board.

The minister said the government was providing full financial support to the Agriculture Department and the agricultural university to promote research and introduce modern technologies for farmers. Training and awareness camps are held to familiarise farmers with agricultural innovations, he said.

On the demand for farm mechanisation, Dar said the government is receiving a large number of applications from farmers and is working to meet the demand through available schemes.

Asked about differences in the National Conference, he said: “The National Conference is a strong party. The colleagues who had grievances spoke to the party leadership and sorted out their matters.” He said he believes there is no problem in the party now and that everything is fine.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Zahoor Hussain Bhat