Kashmir Farmer Grows Lotus Stems Away From Lakes for First Time

Srinagar: Abdul Ahad Wani struggled with a damp piece of land that didn’t yield either paddy or maize for many years. This week, however, the 74-year-old farmer, a native of Khonmoh, on the outskirts of Srinagar, reaped a good harvest of lotus stem for the first time so far from Kashmir’s lakes. 

Wani claims to be the first farmer from the area to grow lotus stem, locally known as Nadru in Kashmir and a favourite in the region during winters. Wani has so far harvested more than three quintals of Nadru on one kanal of land and expects about four-to-five quintals more in the coming days. 

“I did not ask anyone nor anyone asked me to do it. The land was unable to produce anything and I had been suffering losses for many years. Therefore, I decided to do something about it last year,” Wani tells Newsclick adding that he followed his “intuition” after thinking about changing the crop for many days.

Wani says he could have planted other trees, including bigger ones like willow or poplar, but did not want to affect other farmers in the neighbourhood. “It would have created a shadow area and affected other farmers. Therefore, I thought about something that could grow in water or in damp and experimented with Nadru.”  

Lotus stem is sold and cooked in entire South Asia and other countries like China, where almost every part of the lotus is consumed. In the Valley, the stem is a delicacy and its seeds, called Pambach, are also popular. It is mostly grown in wetlands or swampy areas around Mansbal, Wular, Anchar and Dal lakes. The seeds grow from April to September and are harvested as autumn begins.

It is mostly grown in in wetlands or swampy areas around Mansbal, Wular, Anchar and Dal lakes.

Other farmers like Mohammad Anwar Sofi grow it in more than 20 kanals, which can fetch up to Rs 10 lakh per year. The seed pods usually take three-to-five years to grow and can flower for years. 

Wani’s crop was ready on time since he planted the seeds in June last year. He prepared the land for cultivation, which requires a minimum of three-to-six inches of water level to be maintained for nourishment.  

“This is also a dry area as there is no lake or river nearby. Therefore, I used groundwater to maintain the required level. It is easy and I have advised other farmers to grow Nadru if they have damp land and aren’t using them,” he adds.

Farmer Abdul Ahad Wani cleaning root vegatable Nadru after harvesting them. He is the first to grow them in an area far from a lake.

Since the old farmer’s success in cultivating lotus stems, several farmers have approached Wani to learn about the cultivation techniques—and he is willing to provide advice free of cost. 

“If I am successful in this venture, I would also like to experiment with other crops like water chestnuts,” he says.