The Hindu : National / Elections 2004 : Saffron farmers against saffron party

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 28, 2004

National

National - Elections 2004

Saffron farmers against saffron party

Luv Puri

Pochall

In the remote hills of Jammu and Kashmir, saffron cultivators are turning against the BJP. The saffron farmers in the Kishtwar region of the Udhampur parliamentary segment are finding it hard to cope with the new economic order, especially the liberal import policy of the Central Government, which has led to a flood of imported saffron.

In militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir, this is perhaps the first time that an economic problem has become an important election issue. The Opposition says that the economic policies of the BJP-led Government at the Centre have ruined saffron production in the State. The BJP, which holds the Udhampur Parliamentary seat, is worried.

In the last few years, imports of Iranian saffron have hit at the very vitals of local economy here. Profits margins are diminishing for the farmers who have been in the trade for centuries. For instance, a gram of saffron produced here sells for Rs.40 to Rs. 50; Iranian saffron is available at Rs. 23 to Rs. 30. What further pinches the farmers here is the fact that the middlemen continue to extract the lion's share of the profits, leaving little for the farmers.

High value saffron has been their source of livelihood for the farmers of the Pochall area, situated near Kishtwar town. These farmers had carved out a niche for themselves in the domestic market with their superior saffron, which is the backbone of the local economy. The saffron produced here has even found mention in the "Tuzk-I-Jahangiri," a book written by the Mughal emperor, Jehangir. But the product is fast losing its share and sheen in the domestic market, competing as it does with the cheaper Iranian saffron and the high quality Spanish saffron.

The weather conditions in Pochall, an area located in a temperate zone, provides a conducive environment for the growth of saffron. Abdul Aziz, a farmer says, "Previously the middlemen cornered most of the profits. Now we are told that our saffron is no longer in demand."

These poor cultivators have no platform to articulate their woes, except perhaps at the polls. The Congress, the BJP's main rival for the Udhampur seat, has made the import policy of the Central Government a key election issue.

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