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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nSRINAGAR: A prickly pest stalks Kashmir\u2019s \u201cred gold\u201d. Farmers in Pampore now live on pins and needles.Across Pampore\u2019s saffron highlands \u2014 about 15km southeast of Srinagar in Pulwama district \u2014 an unusual predator is eating into one of the region\u2019s most prized crops. The burrowing Indian crested porcupine, a nocturnal rodent, has begun feeding on saffron corms beneath the soil, hollowing out harvests before they can bloom.A corm is the underground, bulb-like stem of the Crocus sativus plant that produces autumn-flowering purple flowers and the precious red stigma used for the spice saffron \u2014 kong in Kashmiri, kesar in Hindi, zafaran in Persian.Pampore MLA Hasnian Masoodi of National Conference said the pace of destruction could erase Kashmir\u2019s saffron in coming years. \u201cPorcupines are devouring saffron roots. Production has fallen sharply from about 22,000kg a decade-and-a-half ago to nearly 1,000kg now,\u201d he said.The crisis surfaced in J&K assembly Saturday, where forest minister Javed Ahmed Rana outlined measures after Masoodi raised the alarm. Teams from wildlife and forest departments are assessing damage and mapping vulnerable zones across Pampore\u2019s saffron plateau, he said.Masoodi pushed back, saying ground reality is grimmer. \u201cThere is no wildlife survey. I don\u2019t know how these porcupines came to Kashmir, but now they are here and destroying crops,\u201d he said.For many farmers, losses are far steeper. Some report up to 80% damage to fields.In Khrew \u2014 a saffron-growing pocket roughly 20km southeast of Srinagar within Pampore \u2014 output has nearly vanished. \u201cKhrew once contributed around 4,000kg to the total yield of 22,000kg, but fields there now lie largely unproductive,\u201d said Masoodi, who hails from the area.Wildlife experts and officials trace the surge to a mix of ecological shifts. Deforestation has shrunk natural habitats, pushing porcupines towards cultivated land. Declining predator numbers \u2014 especially leopards \u2014 have removed a key check on their population. Warmer winters have extended foraging windows, allowing rodents to remain active longer through the year.Yet control options remain limited. As a protected species under wildlife law, porcupines cannot be killed, turning crop damage into a simmering human-animal conflict.Rana\u2019s advisory to farmers reads like a defensive manual: clear caves and undergrowth that shelter rodents, erect mesh barriers buried 1.5m deep to block burrowing, paint tree trunks white or wrap them in gunny sacks to deter nocturnal movement, spray pepper-based organic repellents, place naphthalene near dens.Priority should go to worst-hit plots, he said.Farmers cannot shoulder that burden alone, Masoodi countered. \u201cA roadmap has been outlined, but who will implement it?\u201d he asked. \u201cPeople lack resources. Without state action in fields, cultivation will be abandoned.\u201dThat prospect hangs heavy over Pampore\u2019s karewa uplands by the Jhelum, long been known as the valley\u2019s \u201csaffron heart\u201d, where the spice has shaped livelihoods and identity for centuries. If quills keep winning underground, blossoms may stop rising above it.<\/div>\n\n