LADAKH’S experimental saffron cultivation has shown promising early results, with nearly 22 grams of pure saffron collected in the first four days of flowering on recently restored degraded land in Leh, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said on Sunday. He said the first blooms appeared in a record 30 days, against the usual timeline of nearly two months, marking a significant milestone in the Union Territory’s efforts to explore the potential of high-altitude agriculture.

 

The experimental saffron cultivation project was launched on October 2 as part of an initiative to introduce saffron farming on a large scale in India’s high-altitude cold desert, building on the success of Lilium cultivation in the region. Under the project, around 800 kg of nearly 90,000 premium Iranian saffron corms, suited to Ladakh’s high-altitude agro-climatic conditions, were planted across 4,000 square metres of previously barren land at Spituk Pharka in Leh district. “In just four days, nearly 22 grams of pure saffron has been collected,” he said.