Saffron blooms in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri as trial bears fruit

Outside Kashmir Valley, saffron was cultivated only in Kishtwar

The Rajouri district came up on the saffron map of Jammu and Kashmir, when Vishal Chander Sharma successfully undertook saffron cultivation in his fields in this border district, surprising people with the purple-orange flower bloom in their neighbourhood. Influenced by the cultivation of saffron in the Kishtwar area of Jammu region, the Rajouri administration picked up the idea of Saffron cultivation in the district.

Apart from Kashmir valley's Pampore belt, saffron is cultivated only in Kishtwar district outside the valley. "It is a dream cum true. I never thought saffron could be cultivated here (Rajouri). But we were successful in bringing in new areas of J&K on the saffron map of the UT," said Vishal Chander Sharma. Sharma said he was earlier dependent on wheat and maize cultivation, but saffron allows him to earn more, an agriculture department official said.

"The Department selected one farmer Vishal Chander Sharma of panchayat Kot Dhara, block Dhangri, zone Fatehpur. The farmer possesses only 15 kanal un-irrigated land in which he has been growing wheat and maize crops," a senior official said. With no prior experience in growing saffron in Rajouri, help of the experts from Kishtwar was sought who assisted Sharma in saffron cultivation.

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