Saffron crop might recover some lost ground this season

Despite unseasonal rain in the past few weeks, the saffron crop in India is projected to post a better production in kharif this year. The high-value crop was hit last season due to flash floods in the Kashmir region.

Saffron is grown in 3,674 hectares in Kashmir and 90 per cent of it is grown in the Pampore uplands. The floods damaged almost 100 per cent crop in 2,017 hectares. In 1,604 hectares, only 30 per cent could be salvaged.

According to the state agriculture department, J&K produced 3.83 tonnes and an estimated 11.17 tonnes was lost due to heavy downpour. This amounts to a loss of Rs 860 crore.

The annual demand for saffron in India is about 100 tonnes. The huge demand gap is largely filled by imported saffron, mostly from Iran. Spurious saffron is also seen as a cause of worry. The objective of the government's National Saffron Mission is to meet three-fourths of the demand domestically.

The state registered a yield of 4.5 kg per hectare in 2013, with a total production of 15 million tonnes. But the production fell drastically in the subsequent year due to excess rain. The crop season for saffron is from March/April to September/October.

If the rains do not persist, farmers hope to get a maximum of 3.5 kg a hectare. "The assessment can be done only after flowering starts in the months of June/July," said a senior official in the department, adding saffron is grown on highlands with a slanting landscape so the probability of waterlogging is less.

Farmers who lost their crops are short of funds, as they did not get any aid from the state government. Fresh sowing of the saffron bulb entails about Rs 2 lakh a hectare.

The president of the All Jammu and Kashmir Saffron Growers Association, Abdul Mujid Vani, expects the crop to be 10 tonnes to 11 tonnes if the weather remains consistent.

The price of saffron fluctuates between Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh a kg. It touches peak in November/December and starts declining in January. Indian saffron has a distinct flavour and is preferred over the imported one.

The government has identified 12,000 hectares in parts of Poonch, Doda, Udhampur and Jammu to bring fresh land under saffron cultivation. This could raise the total production to 76 tonnes, said Firdos Ahmed Nehvi of Kashmir University.

He said the saffron trade in India is unregulated, triggering sale of spurious products at a high premium. The government is educating farmers to seek certifications for their produce and sell as a branded product that will profit both buyers and sellers.