Farmers worried as porcupines’ damage Saffron corns in Pampore
Pulwama: The farmers in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district are a worried lot as porcupines are damaging their saffron corns sown in the Karewas of Pampore.
Locals from Pampore, Lethpora and its adjacent areas said that porcupines have been giving them sleepless nights as everyday they find damaged corns dug out by porcupines from saffron beds.
Farooq Ahmad, a saffron grower said that porcupines have caused severe damage to saffron corns due to which production will get it affected.
“When corn will be damaged, there will no production of saffron thereby affecting the livelihood of saffron growers,” he said.
Altaf Ahmad, another grower said that they have been using lights and horns to keep porcupines at bay but they can’t do it for the entire night.
He said that saffron production is already on decline due to different reasons and porcupines are adding salt to our wounds.
“If steps won’t be taken in this regard, in coming years there will be no saffron corn left in the saffron fields,” he added.
Meanwhile, the locals said that for orchardists they have the other option of covering the trunks of trees but the method cannot be made applicable to saffron fields.
Government must at least consult the technical persons and experts who can guide growers how to get rid of porcupine damage, they added.
The rodent, according to the cultivators, becomes more active between December and March, devouring large quantities of the planted corms.
They added that last year a repellent spray was given by SKAUST but the method provided as a short-term relief.
They said that they have brought this issue into the notice of concerned authorities but no step has been taken in this regard.
They requested the concerned authorities to look into the matter at an earliest so that porcupines can’t damage more corns.
