The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — The ongoing prolonged dry spell this summer is causing immense distress among valley farmers, raising concerns about its severe impact on crop growth and overall productivity.

Officials from the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department informed the news agency KNO that due to the extended dry weather and decreasing water levels in the Jhelum River, approximately 10% of irrigation agriculture schemes are being affected.

"We are currently witnessing a significant reduction in the water level of the Jhelum River due to prolonged dry weather conditions. The decreased water level has adversely affected lift irrigation," an official said.

The official further said that the overall water capacity of the Jhelum has decreased by 30% from normal levels, resulting in a 10% impact on irrigation schemes.

Meanwhile, Director Agriculture Kashmir, Choudhary Mohammad Iqbal, said, “Currently, there is moisture in the ground, but if there is no rainfall by next week, both paddy and vegetable crops will be negatively affected.”

“For the growth of paddy and vegetable crops, rainwater is crucial. Presently, there is some moisture in the ground, but without rainfall within the next week or so, adverse effects on both vegetable and paddy fields are anticipated,” Director Iqbal said.

Professor Dr Raihana, Chief Scientist at the Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology (SKUAST) Kashmir, said the prolonged dry spell had stressed plants, resulting in stunted growth in both paddy and vegetable crops.

“The extended dry spell has caused the tips of paddy crops to burn, while leaves of vegetables have become dry,” she explained. Dr Raihana added that the high temperatures coupled with the prolonged dry period have led to reduced crop yields, with stunted growth and leaf weathering in vegetable plants.

A considerable portion of the Jhelum River in Srinagar is visibly drying up, with surface patches becoming evident at various points along its stretch.

Another official from the I&FC Department said that over 40% of the Jhelum River in Srinagar has begun to dry up at multiple locations due to the extended dry spell.

“The ongoing dry spell is impacting water bodies. In Srinagar, approximately 40% of the Jhelum River has dried up, with surface patches visible at numerous locations,” the official said.

Farmers said the lack of precipitation and above-average temperatures have severely affected crop growth and development, dealing a significant blow to the region’s agricultural economy.

Several videos circulating on social media purportedly show farmers displaying their dry paddy fields, with young paddy plants also withering due to the dry conditions.

Farmers are anxiously awaiting relief from the dry and hot weather conditions as the prolonged spell continues to challenge their livelihoods and the overall agricultural economy.

NEW DELHI — The Centre on Tuesday said that the production of saffron has declined by over 67 per cent from 2010 to 2024, however, the production has increased marginally by 4 per cent in the last year.

Replying to a question raised by National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Arjun Munda, as per the news agency KNS, said that as per the estimates provided by the Office of Financial Commissioner (Revenue), UT of Jammu & Kashmir, the production of saffron in Jammu and Kashmir has decreased from 8.0 MT in 2010-11 to 2.6 MT in 2023-24 (provisional), resulting in an overall decline in production by about 67.5% over the period.

"However, during the last one year from 2022-23 to 2023-24, the saffron production has marginally increased by 4%," he said.

He also said that as per the information received from the Planning and Agriculture Production Department of J&K, out of the 128 deep bore wells sanctioned under the Mission, 123 have been constructed by the Horticulture Department and handed over to the Mechanical Engineering Department, Kashmir for their harnessing and further linkage with the Sprinkler Irrigation Systems.

"The Mechanical Engineering Department, Kashmir has successfully connected 73 deep bore wells with the Sprinkler Irrigation Systems having a command of 2187.08 hectares. However, the irrigation facilities are not being utilized fully as the User Groups for management and upkeep of these bore wells have not been created as per the Mission Guidelines and have not been handed over to the farmer user groups," he added.

The minister also said that as per the information received from the Planning, Agriculture Production Department of J&K, there has been no report of adverse effects on saffron flowers due to factors such as cement dust from any industrial establishments.

"The Agriculture Production Department along with the revenue authorities, UT of J&K are implementing the Saffron Act, saffron rules and other revenue laws which safeguard the saffron land from being diverted for any other purposes," he added.

He further said that no high-level committee has been constituted by the Government of India to look into the declining condition of saffron production.

"However, the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India has requested the UT Administration to conduct a detailed review of all the activities taken up under the National Saffron Mission in J&K to ensure the effective utilization of infrastructure and facilities created under the National Saffron Mission for the overall development of saffron sector in Jammu & Kashmir," he stated.

SRINAGAR — The persistent dry spell in Kashmir is wreaking havoc on farmers, as crops suffer extensive damage, prompting the Agriculture Department to issue advisories.

On the outskirts of Srinagar, farmers report substantial losses in turnips, carrots, radishes, and collard greens due to the arid weather conditions.

Nazir Ahmad, a distressed farmer, expressed concerns over the dried-up turnip crops, and a group of farmers highlighted the financial losses incurred. The unexpected weather challenges have disrupted the agricultural rhythm, leaving farmers grappling with emerging consequences.

Director of Agriculture, Kashmir, Choudhary Mohammad Iqbal, assured that the department is closely monitoring the situation and will issue an advisory soon to guide farmers through the ongoing dry spell.

In Anantnag district, the dry spell raises concerns for mustard crops, with farmers reporting deficiency symptoms due to insufficient rainfall or snowfall. Mustard, an annual crop harvested in April, faces vulnerability as the lack of precipitation impacts water availability for upcoming seasons.

Ghulam Rasool Shah, a farmer from Anantnag, expressed worry over the mustard crop's yellowing, emphasizing its reliance on winter snowfall for irrigation.

Director of Agriculture in Kashmir, Choudhary Mohammad Iqbal, stated that the department is actively addressing the issue, and an advisory will be issued shortly.

Meanwhile, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) issued an advisory for orchardists and farmers amid the dry spell. The advisory includes recommendations for Apple, Almond, and Apricot orchardists to avoid pruning and irrigation and maintain sanitation to prevent freezing injury.

For field crops like oilseeds, wheat, peas, and oats, the advisory suggests thinning of brown sarsoon crop, organic mulch use, and field sanitation. Additionally, orchardists are advised to use organic or inorganic mulch, surface scrapping for aeration, and apply shallow irrigation if critically needed during the day.

As the dry spell persists, the cumulative impact on agriculture in the Kashmir Valley raises concerns about the livelihoods of farmers and the region's overall food security.

PULWAMA — The farmers in several areas of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district have complained of heavy loss due to the rice blast disease.

The distressed farmers told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that they are worried due to the disease as around 50 percent of their crop gets damaged every year. They lamented that no steps have been taken by the concerned authorities to reduce the damage.

The disease, as per the farmers, has hit the crops in parts of Rakh, Zahidbagh, Niloora, Nowpora and other adjacent areas in the Litter tehsil of Pulwama.

“We suffered losses due to the disease in paddy, and are very much worried as it will reduce rice production in the area this year,” Tariq Ahmed, a farmer from Litter, said.

“Last year, we complained before the concerned authorities about this disease and asked them to conduct soil testing programmes in our area. However, despite assurance, not a single official or representative came,” he said.

The farmers said the disease is affecting their livelihoods as they don't have any other source of income.

Gul Mohammad Bhat, a farmer from Zahidbagh, said despite spraying as recommended by the authorities, the paddy on around six kanals of land has suffered damage due to the rice blast. He said more damage is on around two kanals.

The government must take cognisance of the issue and provide compensation to the affected farmers accordingly, he said.

An officer of the Agriculture Department told KNO that the rice blast affects the old varieties of paddy only while the varieties provided by the department have been giving bumper crops every year.

Despite organising awareness camps, the farmers still resort to traditional varieties and then blame the department, the official said, adding that the farmers must work in cooperation with the department so that the disease can be eliminated once and for all.

Those farmers who have been covered under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna will get the insurance amount while the details of those who have not registered under the scheme will be compiled and it will be forwarded to higher officials for consideration of compensation.

The official requested the farmers to avoid sowing traditional varieties and implant disease-resistant varieties like SR2 and SR4.

SRINAGAR — Agriculture sector in Kashmir was affected by climate change as 25 per cent of paddy land remained without a crop this year.

The crisis was triggered by the unavailability of irrigation because of sweltering June, when paddy is cultivated, affecting hundreds of farmers in the region.

A top Agriculture official told the news agency KNO that about 25 per cent of paddy land got affected this year as farmers were unable to sow paddy in the face of irrigation shortage. He said that the spring was very hot due to which there was a water crisis in many areas and farmers were forced to opt to sow other crops.

The official added that if such a situation continues for a few more years, it will be devastating not only for agriculture but all sectors will be hit.

He suggested farmers leave monocropping and adapt multiple cropping so that if crops get affected, they will have a choice in times of crisis. “Farmers must use short duration crops with low-risk factors, low investment and resort to the diversification of agriculture so that they can produce different crops,” he added.

Experts believe that the effects of climate change are likely to increase in the coming times and there is a need to take adaptability measures to lower the effect of climate change.

SRINAGAR — Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta on Tuesday convened a meeting of the State Level Coordination Committee on Crop Insurance (SLCCCI) for the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Chief Secretary, while chairing the SLCCCI meeting, approved the implementation of crop insurance schemes viz PMFBY and RWBCIS in the UT of J&K.

The committee also approved the modus operandi to be adopted for the successful implementation of these Schemes in J&K. The scheme would cover Paddy, Maize, Oilseeds, Wheat, Apple, Saffron, Mango and Litchi crops.

Dr Mehta emphasized the need for providing insurance cover to the farmers against crop loss due to various weather vagaries.

Additional Chief Secretary Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo; Additional Chief Secretary Finance Department, Vivek Bhardwaj; Financial Commissioner Revenue, Shaleen Kabra; Secretary Cooperatives, Yasha Mudgal; Secretary Planning Development and Monitoring, Director Agriculture Kashmir/ Jammu, Director Horticulture Kashmir, representatives of J&K Bank and other concerned attended the meeting in person and via video conferencing.

SRINAGAR — In wake of the deficient rainfall across Jammu and Kashmir in the past over one month, the experts here have suggested the farmers take all the necessary steps to ensure that their crops are not damaged, which would lead to huge losses to them.

According to the news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the orchardists have been advised to take all the necessary measures for both the crops including standing crops as well as Kharif crops.

A top official in the Agriculture department told KNO that so far there has been no damage to the crops due to the deficient rainfall, but still, the advisory has been issued to ensure there is no damage to the crops in case the dry spell persists.

A meeting of experts was held recently under the chairmanship of Vice-Chancellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-K) to formulate an advisory for agriculture and horticulture in view of the current prevailing above normal temperatures and rainfall deficit.

“For oil seeds (Mustard), stage Siliquae (Pod) formation, light irrigation in case of availability of irrigation, in case of showers, no irrigation is required,” the document, a copy of which lies with KNO reads, adding that for Oat in the vegetative stage, apply light irrigation if the available application of a top dose of nitrogen at the rate of 4.25kg/kanal where sufficient rainfall is received or irrigation is available and for flower initiation stage, the orchardists have been asked to apply light irrigation on priority.

For wheat in the stage of booting/flowering, apply zinc at the rate of 2kg in 400 litres of water for 20 kanals or Boron at the rate of 600gm in 400 litres of water for 20 kanals, it said, adding that for peas in the stage of flowering/pod formation, the orchardists have been asked to wait for the shower or give light irrigation, if available, with weeds to be cut and put in place as mulch.

For vegetable crops, cole crops and root crops in stage flowering/seed/formation, they have been asked to do light irrigation.

For horticultural crops (Apple) in the petal fall stage, the growers have been asked to start drip irrigation in HDP for half an hour in the morning and evening hours. Organic mulching of individual trees, spraying of fungicide at petal fall stage before rains or immediately after rains and also apply calcium chloride 0.3% in orchards at the fruitlet stage.

PULWAMA — The enforcement wing of south Kashmir seized fake pesticides including Phorate, 18 drums (900 kg), Paushak 300 litres (duplicate) and Almunium Phosphide 3 cases, amounting to approximately Rs 700000, from the premises of Shaheen Enterprises Pulwama.

Law Enforcement officer south Kashmir wing Amarjeet Singh said, "There will be zero tolerance against the sale of fake pesticides and nobody will be allowed to play havoc with the agriculture sector besides damaging the farming community through substandard pesticides."

The government has taken different measures to curb the sale of fake pesticides across the province. "Welfare of farmers and revival of the agriculture sector are top priorities of the department," he added.