SRINAGAR: Scientists are developing robotic machines to harvest saffron flowers, remove weeds and separate delicate red stigmas, in an effort to reduce the dependence on manual labour in Kashmir’s traditional saffron industry.
The experimental machines were demonstrated on Monday at the Advanced Research Station for Saffron and Seed Spices at Konibal, Pampore, where researchers showcased robotic systems designed to automate some of the most labour-intensive operations in saffron cultivation.
The field trials, conducted under a Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)-supported project in collaboration with Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), are aimed at making saffron farming less dependent on manual work and improving productivity.
The challenge is considerable. Producing one kilogram of dry saffron requires separating the red stigmas from approximately 1.6 lakh flowers, a painstaking process that growers currently perform by hand.
Prof Syed Zameer Hussain, Director Research at SKUAST-K and Chief Principal Investigator of the project, said researchers were developing robotic arms equipped with vision systems to identify and harvest flowers, alongside mechanical units for separating stigmas.
He said the initial trials had produced encouraging results and researchers hoped to make field-ready machines available to farmers by next year.
One of the prototypes demonstrated at Pampore was an autonomous weeding robot designed to identify and remove weeds from saffron fields. The system uses automated navigation and can be controlled through a mobile application.
Unlike several other crops, saffron requires weed management at different stages of its cultivation cycle, making the task particularly demanding for growers.
SKUAST-K Vice Chancellor Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai said the machines were being developed in collaboration with national research institutions, including C-DAC Kolkata and CMERI Durgapur.
He said trials would continue over the next one to two months, although the technology could take another one to two years to be fully refined for wider application.
Ganai said the shortage of agricultural labour had emerged as a major concern for farmers across Jammu and Kashmir, with younger generations increasingly reluctant to undertake physically demanding farm operations.
While climate change, prolonged dry spells and erratic weather have affected saffron production, he said the industry’s dependence on manual labour was another significant constraint.
Mechanisation could help overcome some of these challenges and make agriculture more attractive to younger people, he added.
Dr Showkat Rasool, In-charge of SKUAST-K’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, said the project was conceived about a year ago in response to declining saffron acreage and yields and the difficulties associated with traditional cultivation practices.
He said the automated weeding system had already been validated during important stages of the crop cycle, including November, March and June-July.
The project, now in its second year, involves several national institutions, including CMERI Durgapur, CMERI Ludhiana, CMTI Bengaluru, C-DAC Kolkata and C-DAC Mohali.
Dr Sunita Verma, Scientist G and Group Coordinator, R&D in IT at MeitY, said the programme sought to apply electronics and information technology to practical agricultural challenges in the Himalayan region.
She said farmers had been consulted during the development of the machines and were also participating in evaluating the prototypes. Their feedback would help researchers identify shortcomings and adapt the technology to actual field conditions.
Besides saffron, the programme also covers technological interventions in walnut and apple cultivation.
The demonstration was organised as part of the third meeting of the National Steering Committee under the National Programme on Application of Electronics and ICT in Himalayan Region Crop Management, known as Agri-Excellence. The committee is scheduled to continue its deliberations at SKUAST-K’s Shalimar campus on Tuesday.
SKUAST-K has also developed machinery for preparing saffron beds and planting corms, with the corm-planting equipment already operational at the research station.
Ganai said the university had additionally developed an intercropping system allowing saffron and black cumin, locally known as Kala Jeera, to be cultivated in the same field. The university is producing and distributing planting material to encourage farmers to adopt the practice.
Researchers are also working on saffron cultivation under soilless conditions and methods to multiply saffron corms beyond Jammu and Kashmir, potentially opening avenues for expanding its cultivation to other parts of the country.
