Kashmir saffron fields struggling again after hot dry September
India
Kashmir's famous saffron fields are struggling this year because September has been unusually hot and dry, bad news, since this month is crucial for the crop to sprout.
Farmers are worried, as unpredictable weather has already hurt their harvests in recent years, and now things look tough again.
Kashmir farmers cite irrigation failures
Local farmer Irshad Ahmad put it simply: "Rainfall is crucial during this month for the vegetative growth and development of the corms."
Many hoped irrigation systems from the National Saffron Mission would help, but in some areas they're defunct or were never made fully operational.
With temperatures running 2 to 4 degrees Celsius above normal and "El Nino is there," said Mukhtar Ahmad, everyone's anxious as October's flowering season approaches.