Saffron growers lament loss of shine due to extreme weather in Kashmir

As the saffron harvest begins in the vast meadows of Pampur, drought in October has affected the yield of the golden crop much less than the usual flowers seen in the fields in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district. In October this year, South Kashmir experienced 95% water shortage.

“This time there was no rain in October. Also, there was very little rainfall in September which affected production and very few flowers could be harvested,” said Khurshid Ahmad, who owns land on three canals near the newly created Spice Park.

“The fields where the sprinkler network was installed were not affected; however, not the entire area is covered by the sprinkler irrigation scheme. It looks like production will be much less compared to the previous three years,” he said.

Saffron production has been good over the past three years due to favorable weather conditions, but dry September and October this year have had an impact.

“We are not harvesting the good saffron flowers that were harvested in the previous three years,” said Sheikh Mohammad Shaban, a saffron grower from Druzo Pulwama, adding, “In the last three years, saffron production has recorded good yield, which has helped the growers to earn more money.” “

Over the past two decades, the area of ​​the rain-fed saffron belt has been steadily declining from 5,000 hectares to 3,000 hectares as growers, facing losses, have converted the fields into other business units. The government is trying to expand its production by introducing saffron to other districts, including Narwav in Baramulla district.

“The farmer tried it as an experiment and was successful. Now more and more growers can take up its cultivation,” said Riyaz Ahmad, a local from Fatehgarh.

Saffron production in Kashmir peaked in the 1990s, with an average annual production of about 15.5 metric tons. However, it fell into disrepair due to untimely rains, drought, mindless construction and the conversion of saffron fields into commercial enterprises. In 2015, production was 11.72 tons.

To improve saffron production, the National Saffron Mission was launched in 2010. The centrally sponsored scheme has helped the manufacturers. Apart from the bore wells, the sprinkler system has given new life to this crop. “More than 100 boreholes have been sanctioned, but many are under construction or not operating,” said Yasin Lone, another producer.

However, a senior agriculture officer said that more than 60 boreholes are operational and more are being constructed. “A lot of work has been started under the National Saffron Mission in the last seven to eight years and this is helping to increase production,” the officer said, adding that harvesting of saffron flowers has just started and it is too early to estimate the total work involved. exit.

Meanwhile, Director of Agriculture Iqbal Choudhary, who visited saffron fields on Friday, said the aim is to increase the area under saffron cultivation. “The National Saffron Mission will help revive the production. Previously, our yield per hectare was 1.8 kg, now it is approaching four to five kilograms, and in the coming years it will be even higher,” he said.

Kashmir’s annual saffron harvest crossed 13 metric tons in 2020 for the first time in 10 years and has increased every year, according to government data. However, in February, the UT administration informed Parliament that the golden spice yield had declined from 8 metric tonnes in 2010-11 to 2.6 metric tonnes in 2023-24 (provisional), an overall decline of 67.5%.