Brief Note on National Mission on Saffron District Pulwama

1. Brief Note on National Mission on Saffron District Pulwama

3. District wise details of area under Saffron crop

4. Targets under National Mission on Saffron for the project period (2010-14) for District Pulwama.

5. Targets under National Mission on Saffron for the year (2011-12) for District Pulwama.

6. In District Pulwama saffron is being traditionally grown in Tehsil Pampore, Awantipora and Pulwama with most of the Saffron crop presently concentrated in the Karawas of Tehsil Pampore. In order to implement the progarmme physically, a separate office was established at Pampore headed by a District level officer to coordinate and supervise the implementation of the programme.The process was started with the survey of traditionally existing saffron growing areas by the department and in order to have the fool proof identification of bonafideand qualifying beneficiaries, revenue authorities were requested to provide asamie wise /Village wise authenticated revenue records which was translated into English. The record after computerization was duly verified by the concerned revenue authorities. The traditionally existing saffron growing areas of Tehsil pampore (32 villages) and Tehsil Awantipora (3 villages) were divided into 12 circles as per the below given breakup.

9. A total of 250 employees from the level of Chief Agriculture officer down to the level of the lowest functionaries of the department were engaged to implement. This porogarmme this number includes the staff available within the district and the staff deputed by the Directorate of Agriculture from Anantnag, Kulgam , Shopian and Gandrabal districts . Camp offices and seasonal stores were established in each and every circle and managed by a circle level officer and 10 to 15 qualified staff members to impart training to the farmers and monitor the programme at grass root level. Additionally 3 to 5 Helpers were deployed for every circle to regulate and distribute the inputs among the identified beneficiaries duly recommended by the circle level officer. To ensure logistic support, separate Input section was established and Head quarted at Pampore which was looked after by two officers from input section. The duly authenticated revenue records received from Revenue Department was distributed among the circle level officers as per their areas of operation. The registration of farmers who intended to go for rejuvenation was made as per the revenue records and about 4800 beneficiaries were registered offering about 9235 kanals of land for rejuvenation during 2011-12.

10. Summary of circle wise area offered for rejuvenation under Nation Mission on Saffron during 2011-12 District Pulwama

11. Training programmes were organized by SKUAST-K at Konibal Research Station for three days and at village level by the Agriculture Department to educate the farmers about the grading, sorting , sowing of corms, application of manures and fertilizers and seed treatment . A calendar was framed by the circle level officers for each and every village restricting 2-3 beneficiaries (adjacent to one another) per day per official for close and constant supervision prior to rejuvenation, sorting grading and seed treatment of corms was undertaken. The farmers were strictly made to adhere to the calendar of sowing. The circle level officers and their staff members had to work from dawn to dusk and in fact in most of the cases the officers has to work overnight. The achievements for the year 2011-12 are given below in table.

12. Targets and Achievements under National Mission on Saffron for the year 2011-12 for District Pulwama.

13. Summary of circle wise Area Rejuvenated under Nation Mission on Saffron during 2011-12 District Pulwama

14. Cultivation of Saffron crop is very labour intensive which can be gauged very well and beyond doubt by the fact that 1928 man days of labor/hectare are required for the rejuvenation process only which in other words means that a total No. of 520,560 man days of labour were required for rejuvenation of 270 hectare of saffron land. In express terms, round about 23611 man days were engaged with the replanting process each day which had to be supervised very closely to ensure planting in accordance with the re-commended planting geo-metry. The most challenging task of making the farmers agree to re-sort to sorting and grading of corms and fungicidal treatment was not granted any concession by the field staff posted in the circles and its results are obvious as the farmers are now harvesting their produce in the Ist year of sowing. The personnel deployed for rejuvenation programme included the Rehbir-i- Zirat’s– a qualified and dedicated lot who were instrumental in translating the package into reality under the command of the experienced officers of the department.

15. The cell No’s of the circle level officers along with their names and areas of operation were published in leading local dailies. The proposed assami wise list of beneficiaries, the list of finally selected beneficiaries and the lists of all such beneficiaries who finally undertook rejuvenation were also published in daily local news papers for the information of general public.

16. Thank You