Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 19: In response to a recent surge in porcupine attacks, causing havoc in Saffron fields in the Pampore area of South Kashmir, officials from the Agriculture Department and SKUAST-Kashmir conducted a targeted spray on the affected fields to protect them from further devastation.
The agriculture team and SKUAST-Kashmir, in collaboration with a private company, have initiated a trial using an organic repellent spray to address the escalating damage inflicted by porcupines on saffron fields.
Dr. Bashir Ahmad Alaie, senior scientist at the Research Station for Seed and Spices, SKUAST-K, at Dusoo, Pampore, elaborated on the efforts to showcase the benefits of their product, Herboliv Animal Repellent.
“This organic product incorporates a bad-smell repellent, which has been sprayed in the saffron fields to render the area unpleasant for porcupines. We need feedback from farmers to assess the product’s effectiveness and explore its potential as a growth promoter for saffron cultivation,” he said.
District Agriculture Officer Pulwama, Shahnawaz Ahmad Shah, outlined a comprehensive assessment underway to pinpoint areas with the most substantial damage. “Regular monitoring of the spray’s effects, observation of porcupine movements, and recording the extent of damage are part of the ongoing evaluation process,” he said.
Shah underscored the organic nature of the repellent, citing successful trials in regions like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where it effectively deterred animal attacks. “We have conducted a trial here based on its success in those areas, and we will observe its effectiveness,” he said.
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