SNAPSHOT :
| Major Spices Produced | Saffron and Garlic |
| Area (ha) & Production (MT) of Spices | 4920 (Ha) & 1544 MT. |
| Major Spice growing areas | Pulwama, Badgam, Rajour and Kulgam |
| AEP/ODOP/District as Export Hub | ODOP – Saffron in Kishtwar and Garlic in Kulgam. |
| Major Ports/Export Hubs | Nil |
| Major Market Centers | https://agmarknet.gov.in |
| GI/Commercial spices of the State | GI- Kashmir Saffron |
| No. of Registered Exporters | 25 nos |
| Regional Office | Spices Board, Srinagar
IInd Floor, New Tiny Hearts Building
Above HDFC Bank,
Near AI Faruk Masjid, Jawahar Nagar, Srinagar Jammu & Kashmir Pin: 190008 Ph: 01942310097 Email: sbsrinagar@gmail.com |
Jammu and Kashmir, formerly one of the largest princely states of India, is bounded to the east by the Indian Union Territory of Ladakh, to the south by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, to the southwest by Pakistan, and to the northwest by the Pakistani-administered portion of Kashmir.
The economy of Jammu and Kashmir is predominantly agriculture dependent and nearly 70% of population is directly or indirectly engaged in agricultural and allied occupations. This makes the state dependent on Agriculture which is based on Small Land Holdings. Due to the Geographic positioning, the Agriculture activities in the region remain off due to harsh winters in Kashmir and Ladakh Regions.
Jammu & Kashmir is one of the spice producing regions in India. Saffron is the main produce in J&K. The other spices produced are chilli, ginger, turmeric and garlic. The estimated item wise area & production of spices in Jammu & Kashmir during 2020-21 is given below. The other major producers are Afghanistan and Spain.
The unprecedented flood in 2014 severely damaged and reduced the saffron growing areas in the Kashmir valley. The drought situation and the disruptions in the subsequent years have adversely affected the production of saffron.
Against India’s present production of 4 tons, the domestic requirement is estimated at about 15 tons. To meet the domestic demand India is importing saffron from other producing countries. The average export of saffron from India is only about 1 to 2 tons per year. The major export destinations for Indian saffron are USA, UAE, UK, and Australia etc.
Kashmir Saffron which is famous world over as a spice, health rejuvenator etc was awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry during the year 2020 based on the application filed by the Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, and facilitated by the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology, Kashmir and Saffron Research Station, Dussu, Pampore
The details of the area and production of spices in Kerala are given in the table below:
| Sl No | Item | Area in Ha. | Production in MT. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saffron | 3490 | 4 |
| 2 | Chillies | 655 | 556 |
| 3 | Turmeric (Dry) | 51 | 51 |
| 4 | Garlic | 674 | 542 |
| 5 | Ginger (Fresh) | 20 | 391 |
| Total(inclu.others) | 4920 | 1544 | |
In the block period more than 25 exporters have registered with Spices Board from Jammu & Kashmir. The export of saffron from India for the last three years are given below.
| Year | Qty(Tons) | Value (Rs.lakhs) |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 1.00 | 557.00 |
| 2019-20 | 0.77 | 438.21 |
| 2020-21(Est) | 1.20 | 747.34 |
Board has established one office at Srinagar headed by a Scientist for the co-ordination of Spices Board activities in Kashmir.
Spices Board, Srinagar
IInd Floor, New Tiny Hearts Building
Above HDFC Bank,
Near AI Faruk Masjid,
Jawahar Nagar, Srinagar
Jammu & Kashmir 190008
Ph: 01942310097
Email: sbsrinagar@gmail.com
Spices Board in line with its mandate has been conducting training programs to the saffron growers every year, as part of its annual calendar for Quality Improvement Training Programs (QITP).
The Board’s schemes provide financial support to farmer groups to set up mini processing unit to improve the quality. In 2017, one farmer group availed benefit under this scheme and Rs.15.00 lakh was released as subsidy to set up a mini processing unit for saffron in Pulwama District and in 2020-21, Rs.6 lakhs has been given for further up gradation of the facilities.
Board co-hosted the ‘saffron festival’ in 2017 along with the State Tourism Department to promote tourism in the State and cultivation & export of Saffron.
The Board participated in various domestic fairs organized by State Agri/Horti Departments. Support is being given to farmers groups to market their produce through Spices Board stalls in various trade fairs. In 2018, the State Agriculture University and Spices Board jointly conducted a National Seminar on saffron production and export development at Srinagar.
Spices Board Regional Office Srinagar, in collaboration with the J&K Agricultural Dept organized training programs for the stakeholders on prevention of adulteration in saffron. Board is also organizing field visits, offering advisory services and conducting pest & disease surveillance during the season in association with the scientists of Kashmir Agricultural University
Saffron farmers and traders from J&K participates in the virtual BSMs conducted by Spices Board in association with Indian Chamber of Commerce and Dept. of Agriculture so as to provide a common platform for the Buyers and Sellers of saffron, to interact directly and establish effective business linkages for export of GI tagged saffron. Spices Board conducts webinars also for FPOs for domestic selling of spices through e-commerce platform. The e-auction has provided a platform for the registered saffron growers to sell their GI tagged produce to buyers across India.
Prior to the commencement of the Quality Lab in the Saffron Park, Spices Board provided one month hands-on-training to the Govt. officials from Jammu & Kashmir on the Quality testing for Physical and Chemical parameters in saffron and other spices at the Board’s Quality Evaluation Laboratories (QEL) at Kochi, Kerala and Narela, New Delhi.
Government of India has established Saffron Production and Export Development Agency (SPEDA) at Srinagar, J&K for the development, marketing, quality improvement and export promotion of saffron in the country. SPEDA is chaired jointly by Secretary of Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry and Chief Secretary, Government of J&K. Representatives of State/Central Agri department, Agri University, DGFT, stakeholders viz exporters and traders & farmers as members of the SPEDA.
SPEDA is constituted to plan, approve schemes, coordinate and converge activities for the overall development of the saffron sector and export promotion of saffron. The production related activities are envisaged to be implemented by the State Agri. Department and the export promotion activities are to be implemented by the Board. However, lack of adequate funds to support the approved activities of SPEDA is acting as a limiting factor for SPEDA to carry out activities.
Board is also implementing various Development and Marketing schemes and Research and Laboratory activities, the details of which may please be seen from the Board's website indianspices.com