Kashmir saffron farmers anticipating bountiful yield

Pampore, Nov 2 (ANI): Farmers in Pulwama town of Jammu and Kashmir are anticipating a higher yield of saffron crops, assisted by plenty of rainfall and adequate climatic conditions in the region.

Cultivators and agriculture experts confirmed that the rainfall in the region and the suitability of the soil in the district's Pampore area would result in a bonus yield.

"The region received abundant rainfall on time, which helped the crops to flower before time and I think the yield will be higher than that in the last year. We are expecting that the crops will produce more flowers. The government also helped us a lot. It provided us with manure," said Tajamul Ahmad, a farmer.

Earlier, the supply of saffron seldom met its high demand. Moreover, the farming was restricted to only certain parts of the province, particularly the area around Kishtwar district, which was considered the major domain of saffron production.

However, in a bid to boost production of saffron in other areas, the state agriculture department conducted a training session for cultivators in Pampore.he training was conducted to check the fall in production from yields of four kilograms per hectare to two kilograms over the years, due to poor irrigation facilities.

The Agriculture Officer of Pulwama, Noorudin Ahmad, said the government had launched a drive to boost saffron production in the district.

"Owing to timely rainfall this year, we are expecting a high quality yield. We can see that the flowers are better in quality. We have also launched a project which is worth Rs.327 crores for the Kashmir region, out of which Rs. 242 crore is especially for Pampore. We have also started the rejuvenation drive," he said.

The demand for saffron continues to be high, as it is desired all over the world for its aroma, colouring and aphrodisiac properties. It is one of the world's most expensive spices.

It is sold for Rupees 85,000 per 85 grams in the domestic market, and offers livelihood to saffron farmers in five districts across the state.

The delicate saffron flowers begin to grow after the first rains and the blooming period is usually around mid-October, following which the flowers are harvested.

Kashmir's cool climate and rich soil, make the location an ideal thriving ground for this spice, but a lapse in any one of the conditions can spoil the entire crop.(ANI)