Red gold on Ladakh's barren land: Saffron flowers bloom in 30 days, 22 grams of production in four days

According to a report by Amar Ujala, the saffron cultivation experiment carried out on the barren land of Ladakh is proving to be extremely successful in its initial phase. In this experimental saffron cultivation started on the barren land of Leh district, production of approximately 22 grams of pure saffron has been recorded within just four days. The most special thing about the whole matter is that here the saffron flowers have started blooming about a month earlier than the normal time.

According to the Amar Ujala report, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena, while officially sharing information about this achievement on Sunday, stated that the first saffron flowers in Ladakh bloomed in a short period of just 30 days, whereas normally this process takes about two months. Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena himself personally visited the saffron farm located at Spituk Farkha and inspected these flowers by going there.

According to the Amar Ujala report, this important experimental project was started on October 2 last. Under this scheme, about 4,000 square meters of land lying barren earlier in the Spituk Farkha area of Leh district was utilized. On this land, approximately 90,000 high-quality saffron corms specially ordered from the country of Iran were planted. The total weight of all these corms is around 800 kilograms. The selection of these corms was done keeping entirely in mind the high-altitude geographical region of Ladakh and the climatic conditions there.

According to the Amar Ujala report, Lieutenant Governor Saxena further stated that an average of 20 to 25 flowers are blooming daily in these fields, while as many as 72 flowers were recorded during a single morning. Approximately 22 grams of pure saffron has been collected from this farm in just the short span of the initial four days.

According to the Amar Ujala report, Lieutenant Governor Saxena stated in his statement that this wonderful experiment opens the door to completely new possibilities in the agricultural sector in the higher-altitude regions of Ladakh. From this, in future times, this saffron cultivation can be expanded on a large scale. Apart from this, employment opportunities will be created at the local level, agriculture-based new industries will be promoted, and there is full hope that the economic condition of this entire region will receive a new strengthening. He praised the work of the Agriculture Department of Ladakh as well as its dedicated and hardworking field staff for the success of this project, and stated that this initiative can prove to be extremely effective and important in taking forward the significant goal of 'Atmanirbhar Ladakh'.

According to the English details published in Amar Ujala, experimental saffron cultivation has been started on recently restored degraded land at Leh, which has created a new history in the high-altitude agricultural landscape of Ladakh. While normally it takes two months for the first flower to bloom, here the flowers have bloomed in a record-breaking time of 30 days. The moment of the first flower blooming was witnessed by the Lieutenant Governor by visiting this farm. Here an average of 20 to 25 flowers bloom daily and 72 flowers bloomed on one morning. About 22 grams of pure saffron has been collected in just 04 days.

According to the Amar Ujala report, this remarkable achievement is a powerful testimony to the resilience of our environment and the abundant and hitherto unexplored potential of high-altitude farming in this region. This successful breakthrough lays a promising foundation for commercial-scale production, which will open new avenues for agriculture and agri-entrepreneurship in Ladakh, as well as pave the way towards a strong, prosperous, and self-reliant local economy. Deep appreciation and congratulations were extended to the Agriculture Department of UT Ladakh and our dedicated field staff for their significant contribution to the success of this pilot project.