Chandhara village in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district has witnessed a remarkable agricultural innovation as Abdul Aziz, a progressive farmer, reintroduces the traditional practice of inter cropping saffron with high-yielding varieties of almonds. His pioneering efforts have garnered attention from the local farming community and inspired many others to follow suit.
Aziz, hailing from Chandhara village along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway in Pampore area, found that the Karewa soil in his region was well-suited for cultivating stone fruits like almonds. In the past, the elders of the area used to cultivate almond and saffron together, but due to a shift towards apple farming, the traditional almond trees were replaced, leading to a decline in stone fruit cultivation.
The turning point came when Aziz noticed three promising, high-yielding almond varieties at the campus of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (ICAR-CITH) in Srinagar. Encouraged by the director of ICAR-CITH, he decided to grow these new varieties and was provided with the necessary planting materials for his two kanals of land.
“I planted the material in 2010, and after three years, they started bearing fruits,” Aziz said. The three almond tree varieties he cultivated include Waris (a local variety), Non Pareil, and IXL (exotic varieties imported from California). The introduction of these high-yielding varieties has proven to be a success, and Aziz is now reaping good returns from his farm.
What sets Aziz’s farming practice apart is his reintroduction of saffron cultivation alongside the almond trees, revitalizing the traditional model of inter cropping. The canopies of the almond trees provide shade to the saffron beds, helping to retain moisture and create an ideal environment for both crops to thrive.
Aziz’s innovative approach has sparked widespread interest among local farmers. He revealed that he receives around 10 inquiries per day from different farmers who want to learn more about the new varieties and emulate his inter cropping model.
The Director of ICAR-CITH Srinagar, Dr.Mahendra Kumar Verma, praised the paper-shelled varieties of almonds chosen by Aziz. Waris, being a local variety, and Non-Pareil and IXL, being exotic varieties from California, have proven to produce almost double the yield per hectare compared to traditional almond varieties.
Dr.Verma advised farmers to follow a medium-density module for planting these varieties, ensuring proper water and nutritional requirements for better yields. He further noted that farmers all across Kashmir are showing great interest in these exotic almond varieties, and the concerned government institutions are prioritizing their expansion under the holistic development of agriculture and allied sectors.
Aziz’s remarkable success story stands as a testament to the potential of sustainable and innovative farming practices in the region, providing hope for a prosperous future for farmers in Kashmir.
