16% increase in saffron harvest in Bafgh city
Referring to the end of the saffron harvest season, the director of Bafgh Agriculture Department said: This year, 280 kg of dried saffron was harvested from the farms of this city, which is an increase of about 16% compared to last year.
Ali Akbar Rahmatian announced the area under cultivation of red gold (saffron) of this city as 92 hectares and added: 70 hectares of it has reached the fruiting stage and the rest of the area under saffron onion cultivation will reach the fruiting stage in the next one to two years.
He stated that the average yield per unit area is 2.6 kg of product and reminded: with the trainings provided by the experts of Jihad Keshavarzi management, the farmers had more stages to produce the product than winter irrigation, timely weeding and weed control. Fields are weeded in spring and summer and properly fertilized.
The official mentioned the training of farmers, the distribution of high quality and improved onions, the constant referral of experts to farms and the recommendation of timely irrigation and fertilization as services of Jihad Keshavarzi and the reason for increasing crop production.
The director of Bafgh Jihad-e-Agriculture called the encouragement of farmers to cultivate this low-water crop effective and said: Currently, more than 700 farmers are active in the field of saffron planting and harvesting and this product is exported from Bafgh to domestic markets and sometimes to neighboring countries. It becomes.
According to him, saffron cultivation in some areas of Bafgh city is 35 years old, which due to its low water demand, by developing the cultivation of this valuable plant while preserving more water resources in agriculture, helps to develop employment and valuation of agricultural products. Also increases.
The director of Bafgh Jihad-e-Agriculture stated: The development of the cultivated area and the early yield of this crop have caused many families who had migrated to the cities in previous years to return to the cold villages of the region and plant, hold and harvest saffron.
He mentioned the cold villages of Sabzdasht district of this city as the main areas favorable for cultivating red gold and stated that this crop needs irrigation only in winter: the saffron harvest started from the first of November and continued until the end of the month.
Rahmatian also announced the conclusion of a five-year memorandum of understanding with the country’s saffron research institute and noted: This research institute cooperates with Jihad-e-Keshavarzi in the discussion of research and training in planting and holding and harvesting this product and serves the region’s saffron growers.
Saffron bulbs are propagated in the ground for seven to 10 years and depending on the quality of the seeds, its yield starts from the second and third year.
The total area under cultivation of agricultural and horticultural products in Bafgh is 6,290 hectares, which is irrigated with 117 deep and semi-deep wells and 120 aqueducts.
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