AS the time to reap the fruits of their hard labour nears, farmers in Pampore get worried because the yield of the saffron crop, which has brought glory to this part of the Kashmir Valley, has been falling year after year.

Some 14 kms away from the Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital, Pampore, the heartland of saffron, where a stone memorial greets tourists with the message ‘World’s best saffron grows here’, has been losing its sheen slowly.

Farmers and experts believe that changing climatic conditions and cement factories around the area are fast affecting the production of the world’s costliest spice. The best quality Kashmiri saffron is sold at Rs55,000-Rs60,000 per kg.

For commercial purposes, saffron is grown primarily in India, Spain and Iran. Kashmir is proud to have the privilege of producing the best quality saffron, known for its unique aroma. The time for its flower to bloom is in autumn. Its orange stigmas are harvested and used as flavouring and colouring agent in various recipes. Saffron is also added to ‘Qahwa’, the traditional saffron Kashmiri tea.

According to the agricultural department, the production per ‘kanal’ (505 sq m) has declined from the normal 150 gm to as low as 70 gm, terribly hitting the trade, in which nearly 10,000 farmers are directly involved.

According to experts, scanty snowfall and rainfall are the major causes of decline in yield. The area, as per official records, has been receiving less rain and snow in the past many years than other parts of the Valley.

“Pampore gets only one to three inches of snow during winter, which is far less than in any other part of the Valley,” says Henna Qadiri, an Agricultural Assistant.

“Lesser rain and snow have resulted in the drying up of various streams and other water bodies in the area, which are big factors contributing to the agricultural debacle,” added Ms Qadiri, who is also pursuing research on saffron cultivation.

“A rise in average temperatures and early and fast meltdown of glaciers in the Pir Panjal mountain range have affected water availability to a great extent during the last one-and-a-half decades thus badly affecting the crop cultivation,” Ms Qadiri mentioned.

However, climate is not the only cause, she says, adding cement factories established in the area are continuously emitting smoke and dust which is making saffron cultivation more difficult.

“The dust coming from cement factories causes imbalances in the nutritive contents of soil due to high content of mercury and result in retarded growth of plants,” she said.

Farmers allege that cement factories in the area do not use filter bags to check the emission of dust during night, which settles on everything, including the saffron fields. Officials also allege that construction boom is also the reason behind the decline in crop yield. A survey conducted by the finance department says 5,361 hectares were used for cultivation of saffron in the early 1980s which stood at 2,928 hectares last year.

In order to save the receding crop, Ms Qadiri suggests more scientific techniques, proper harvesting and better processing .The government last year had promised to introduce post-harvest technologies to save the cash crop but nothing has been done so far.

“We have been approaching the government to save this crop, which not only gives us bread and butter but also brings us cultural glory, but to no avail,” alleges Mohammed Subhan, a farmer of Kadlabal village near the town. Farmers and suppliers associated with the trade have also been struggling to introduce a grading system for the spice to maintain quality control.