Now Reading: Kashmir saffron corms smuggled as yields plummet, area shrinks
-
01
Kashmir saffron corms smuggled as yields plummet, area shrinks
In August 2025, police seized 150 kg of saffron corms near Awantipora and arrested four people. The corms are being smuggled out of Kashmir to states such as Haryana and Himachal Pradesh,…
The Story in Brief
In August 2025, police seized 150 kg of saffron corms near Awantipora and arrested four people. The corms are being smuggled out of Kashmir to states such as Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, lured by prices of Rs 1.5-1.7 lakh per 100 kg. Last year, yields fell to about 10% of normal levels, and the area under saffron has dropped 35% since 1996-97 to 3,715 hectares, according to official data. Some farmers are shifting to apple cultivation. The government restricts movement under the Saffron Act, 2007, and has proposed establishing seed multiplication nurseries to conserve planting material.
The Indian Opinion
The smuggling of saffron corms is being painted as a crisis of illegal trade, but the real story is about farmers left with little choice. Yields crashed to 10% of normal and the cultivation area has shrunk by over a third. Blaming growers for selling planting material misses the point: if traditional farming no longer pays, conservation efforts like seed multiplication nurseries must prove they can restore both livelihoods and supply. Will they arrive before the fields vanish? That is the test.
Source: thehindubusinessline.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
