Saffron Cultivation Successfully Introduced For The First Time In Upper Dir

The District Agriculture Department Upper Dir, with the support of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, has achieved a major milestone by successfully cultivating saffron on an experimental basis for the first time. Saffron bulbs were planted on 16 kanals of land in different areas of three tehsils, Dir, Wari and Laram, where the crop has successfully bloomed, drawing appreciation from local farmers.

Haq, the initiative was launched under the provincial government's Annual Development Programme (ADP), under which eight districts across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were selected for saffron cultivation and Upper Dir was one of them. He said the climate and weather conditions of Upper Dir were found highly suitable for saffron farming, although there were initial doubts about the success of the crop and convincing farmers to try a new and expensive crop was also seen as a major challenge. However, registered farmers in Upper Dir showed quicker willingness compared to other districts.

He explained that for the pilot phase, saffron bulbs were planted for the first time in three tehsils; Dir, Wari and Laram, as saffron requires cold weather and a suitable climate to grow. Areas including Nahag Dara, Gandigar, Ashri Dara and Dodba Dir were selected, where farmers were provided saffron bulbs by the department. After cultivation, the results turned out to be highly successful.

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Officials of the Agriculture Department also visited the selected areas to review the crop and provide further guidance to farmers.

Local farmer Ejaz Khan from Gandigar told TNN that he cultivated saffron on three kanals of land. Initially, he feared that if the experiment failed, his land might be damaged, but by the grace of God, the results were better than expected. He said the bulbs planted in September sprouted well and flowers have bloomed.

He added that this is the first year and according to experts, production is expected to increase further next year, which has encouraged him to work harder on this crop. Ejaz Khan said the market price of one kilogram of saffron can reach up to PKR 1.2 million, making it a highly profitable crop.

Another farmer, Mukhtiar Khan from Dodba, also cultivated saffron for the first time on one kanal. He said he was worried in the beginning, but now feels happy as both plants and flowers have emerged successfully. He thanked the Agriculture Department for providing free bulbs and expressed hope for even better production next year. He is also a social and political worker and has previously established successful orchards, including persimmon (Amlok) gardens.

Director Islam
Haq and Deputy Director Muhammad Parvez Khan expressed great satisfaction over the success of the project. They said that with the blessings of God and the hard work of farmers, saffron cultivation on 16 kanals has been successfully achieved. According to Islam
Haq, this was the first phase of a three-year project under the ADP scheme, and it has been completed successfully.

He added that saffron bulbs are not available in Pakistan and were imported from Iran and Afghanistan. In the first phase, 140,000 bulbs were planted on 16 kanals, and the results have been very encouraging.

Local farmers said saffron flowers have now started blooming across different areas of Upper Dir, creating both fragrance and beautiful scenery. After this success, hopes have risen that Upper Dir and other districts will make significant progress in saffron production in the future, strengthening the local economy.

Another resident, Rehmat Ali, said he could not get the bulbs in the first phase due to late information but hopes to receive them in the second phase next year. He added that he had previously brought saffron bulbs through a friend and grew them in beds and pots at home.

The Agriculture Department Upper Dir has earlier supported farmers in establishing orchards of persimmon, pear, walnut, apple, lemon and orange, and the successful saffron experiment has further strengthened confidence in the department's efforts. With the success of this pilot project, saffron cultivation is expected to bring economic stability to farmers and, in the coming years, make Upper Dir more self-reliant in the production of this valuable crop.

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