Yield per kanal will be around 18 kilograms, each kilogram sells for rupees 6000

Pampore: Kaala Zeera Day was observed at Advanced Research Station for Saffron and Seed Spices SKUAST-Kashmir in the Dusoo Pampore area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The programme was organised by Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K).
Vice Chancellor SKUAST- Kashmir Professor Dr Nazir Ahmad Ganie was the chief guest on the occasion. He was accompanied by Director TH Masoodi, Dean Horticulture SKUAST-K, Shabir Ahmad and Bashir Allie head of Advanced Research Station for Saffron and Seed Spices.
The Vice Chancellor inspected the trailed crop of Kaala Zeera at the research station Dusoo. He also interacted with farmers and enlightened them about different aspects of Kaala Zeera, SKUAST-K officials told Kashmir Reader.
Later, the VC held a meeting with SKUAST-K officials and farmers. The meeting was attended by Director Research T H Masoodi, Dean Horticulture SKUAST-K Shabir Ahmad, Dr Bashir Ahmad Allaie, head of research station Dusoo, other scientists and a number of farmers of the Pampore Tehsil led by its president Abdul Majeed Wani.
During the meeting, Vice Chancellor highlighted the importance of the Kaala Zeera, one of the best spices in Jammu and Kashmir.
Talking to Kashmir Reader, the VC SKUAST-K said that Kaala Zeera was grown in Gurez. “People in Gurez were extracting seeds of Black Cumin prematurely from the forest the area, the seeds were not falling on the ground resulting in their extinction,” he said, adding they strived to preserve these crops by extracting their seeds for growing here at the research station. He said that around 80 genotypes were selected from different places and out of which four showed very promising results.
“We are chalking out a strategy on how to transfer this technology among farmers,” he said, adding that they had invited a number of farmers to make them aware of this new crop. He further said that Black Cumin is a costly spice, one kilogram of which sells for rupees 6 thousand.
“A crop on one kanal of land will produce around 18 kilograms from a farmer can earn around 1 lakh and 8 thousand rupees,” he said, adding that they have developed an inter-cropping module of Kaala Zeera with Saffron as they have high compatibility with each other. He said farmers saw with their own eyes the crops of Kala Zeera.
Prof Ganie said they are further evolving it and that they are doing multi-location tests to see in which agro climate conditions it performs best. He said that so far these 4 selections are showing good results in Karewa land.
Javid Ahmad, a young progressive farmer associated with a cooperative society, said they received an order from outside Jammu and Kashmir. He said they procured the seeds from SKUAST-Kashmir’s Research Station in Dusoo Pampore because of its good quality, fragrance and aroma.
“The sample was dispatched to the client and it was highly appreciated. Our client approved the sample. This motivated me to grow Kaala Zeera in my 15 kanals of land,” Javid said, adding, “The activity will not hamper Saffron cultivation and a farmer can get two crops from the patch of land and double his income.”

BILAL HABIB