As saffron plucking begins in the vast meadows of Pampore, the dry spell in October has affected the production of the golden crop, much less than usual, seen in the fields of the district of Pulwama, in south Kashmir. This month of October saw a 95% rain deficit in south Kashmir.

“This time there was no rain in October. Besides, September saw very minimal rainfall, which affected production and very few flowers are available for plucking,” said Khursheed Ahmad, owner of three kanals near the newly established Spice Park.

“Fields that have a sprinkler system have not been affected; however, the entire area is not covered by the sprinkler irrigation system. It looks like production will be much lower than in the previous three years,” he said.

The last three years have seen good saffron production thanks to favorable weather conditions, but dry September and October have had an impact this year.

“We are not producing good saffron flowers which we had collected in the previous three years,” said Sheikh Mohammad Shaban, a saffron grower from Drusoo Pulwama, adding: “In the last three years, saffron production recorded a good harvest, which helped producers to earn more money.

The rain-fed saffron belt has seen a steady decline from 5,000 hectares to 3,000 hectares over the last two decades as growers, faced with losses, converted their fields into other commercial units. The government tried to expand its production by introducing saffron to other districts, including Narwav in Baramulla district.

“A farmer was trying to do it as an experiment and he succeeded. Now, more and more growers might turn to its cultivation,” said Riyaz Ahmad, a villager from Fatehgarh.

Saffron production reached its peak in Kashmir in the 1990s, with an average annual production of around 15.5 tonnes. However, it declined due to untimely rains, drought, free construction and the conversion of saffron fields into commercial enterprises. Production was 11.72 tonnes in 2015.

To improve saffron production, the National Saffron Mission was launched in 2010. This central government-sponsored program helped the producers. Apart from the drilled wells, the irrigation system has given a new lifeline to this crop. “More than 100 boreholes have been authorized but many are under construction or not operating,” said Yasin Lone, another producer.

A senior agriculture official, however, said that more than 60 borewells are functioning and more are being installed. “Over the last seven to eight years, under the National Saffron Mission, a lot of work has been undertaken and this is helping to boost production,” the officer said, adding that the plucking of saffron flowers came just started and it was too early to assess the overall result. to go out.

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

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