Farmers await 'red gold' amid bumper harvest

JEHANGIR Bashir, a saffron grower in Pampore of south Kashmir's Pulwama district is delighted. It took a whole day for him to cultivate his farmland.

- FAYAZ WANI

"This year, it took us [our family members and friends] the whole day to harvest the saffron yield. In previous years, it used to take us 15-60 minutes to harvest the crop," Bashir said. "This year, the crop has blossomed at its ripe time. The yield will be bumper, he added.

The saffron, also known as "red gold" for its special aroma, flavour and colouring agent, is mostly cultivated in Pampore and adjoining areas in south Kashmir. According to revenue records, nearly 3,700 hectares of land in Jammu and Kashmir is covered under saffron cultivation. Of it, over 3,650 hectares are in Kashmir while 50 are in Kishtwar. In the valley, a maximum 3,300 hectares of saffron land is in Pulwama while remaining in Srinagar and Budgam districts.

Last year, Kashmir produced 15.62 metric tonnes of saffron while in 2021, it was 15.54 metric tonnes.