Saffron plant cultivated for first time in Nimroz

ZARANJ (Pajhwok): Saffron was grown for the first time in the capital and some districts of southwestern Nimroz province this year, producing satisfactory yield in some areas, local officials say.

Eng. Mohammad Akbar Sharifi, agriculture, irrigation and livestock director of Nimroz, told Pajhwok Afghan News around 2,000 square meters of land was cultivated with saffron this year for experiment.

He said farmers in the capital, Zaranj, and districts received farming packages including saffron onion and other needed equipment free of cost.

Some areas of the province lacked water, but saffron in Khashrod, Chahar Burjak and some other parts, where sweet water exists, yielded good results, he said.

However, he did not provide figures for the saffron harvests this year in the province.

Sharifi said many training programs about growing saffron were arranged for farmers in the agriculture department of Nimroz.

Noor Mohammad, a farmer, said they grew saffron for the first time but farmers still did not understanding how to cultivate the plant. He said farmers would learn saffron cultivation with the passage of time.

mds/ma