Rain shortage threatens prized Kashmir saffron

0 Comments | AFP, December, 2007

SRINAGAR, India (AFP) — A shortage of rain is threatening the output of Indian Kashmir's prized saffron spice, which is reputed to be the best in the world, officials say.

Saffron, the aromatic dried orange petals of the crocus flower, is used in pinches around the globe -- and Kashmiri saffron is said by many cooks to be the best quality because of its pungent aroma and flavour.

But output has hit hard times due to declining rainfall, Kashmiri farmers say.

"This trade is dying and dying fast," said Ghulam Nabi Bhat, who farms in Pampore, a 15-minute drive from Srinagar, the region's summer capital.

Production of the labour-intensive crop totalled 40 tonnes a year in the early 1990s but now has slumped to eight tonnes annually.

"Drought-like...