Heavy rainfall has offered a significant enhancement to the Kashmiri Saffron production, strengthening hopes of Kashmiri saffron farmers regarding a good harvest after years of decline.
One of the farmers from Pampore, south of Srinagar, has stated that “Saffron requires moisture from the second week of August to the second week of September. This year, we are expecting a bumper harvest after a couple of weak seasons”.
Saffron Production affected by weather patterns
Notably, UT’s saffron production has been severely affected by shifting weather patterns over the past two decades. According to official data, the saffron production has plunged by 65 per cent since the late 1990s, whereas land under cultivation has reduced from more than 5,700 hectares in 1996-97 to just 2,387 hectares in 2019-20. Intending to revive the region’s traditional farming, authorities sanctioned a ₹146 crore ($17.5 million) project to promote niche crops, including saffron, under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) in 2023
About Last Year’s Saffron Production
Saffron Production has decreased 20–30% amid the long period of dry weather from June to July, when temperatures soared as high as 34 degrees Celsius. Undoubtedly, this June was also unusually hot and dry and some wet spells in July. However, August’s heavy rainfall has granted the crop enough moisture on the upland Plateaus of Pampore and nearby areas.