TİKA Supports Saffron Cultivation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), in partnership with the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), has supported saffron cultivation in Haveli District, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, to diversify the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and promote high-value agricultural production.

In Haveli’s mountainous terrain, where limited cultivable land requires farming on small terraced plots, generating sufficient income from conventional crops remains a major challenge. High-value crops such as saffron therefore offer an important alternative, enabling farmers to generate greater economic value from relatively small areas of land.

Saffron bulbs and agricultural equipment provided to 30 farmers

Under the project, TİKA provided 30 selected farmers with 60,000 certified saffron bulbs and the agricultural tools required for production. Eight hand tractors and eight power sprayers were also supplied for the shared use of the farmer groups established through the project.

The beneficiaries received practical training in saffron cultivation, land preparation, planting, irrigation, plant health, harvesting, drying, storage and marketing. Following the training programme, farmers carried out the first planting of saffron bulbs with the guidance of agricultural experts.

The project aims to reach 150 households while encouraging the active participation of women in training and agricultural production.

Creating greater value from limited farmland

As one of the world’s most commercially valuable agricultural products, saffron is particularly well suited to Haveli’s terraced farming system because it can be cultivated on small plots and offers considerable income-generating potential.

Beyond providing agricultural inputs, the project aims to strengthen farmers’ technical capacity, organise them into producer groups, improve their access to markets and lay the foundations for a sustainable saffron value chain in the region.

PPAF, together with its local implementing partner, the Hamza Development Foundation, and the Department of Agriculture of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, is supporting beneficiary mobilisation, technical training, protective agricultural infrastructure, entrepreneurship development and market linkages.

In the coming years, the initial beneficiaries are expected to share their knowledge and experience with other farmers, helping to expand saffron cultivation across Haveli and create more resilient livelihood opportunities for local communities.