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Brazil Energy Authorities Approve Returning to Daylight Saving Time as Drought Bites 

A man rides a boat in front of the sandbanks at the Solimoes River, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon River, during a Greenpeace flyover to inspect what the National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (Cemaden) says is the most intense and widespread drought Brazil has experienced since records began in 1950, near Tefe, Amazonas state, Brazil September 17, 2024. (Reuters)
A man rides a boat in front of the sandbanks at the Solimoes River, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon River, during a Greenpeace flyover to inspect what the National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (Cemaden) says is the most intense and widespread drought Brazil has experienced since records began in 1950, near Tefe, Amazonas state, Brazil September 17, 2024. (Reuters)
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Brazil Energy Authorities Approve Returning to Daylight Saving Time as Drought Bites 

A man rides a boat in front of the sandbanks at the Solimoes River, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon River, during a Greenpeace flyover to inspect what the National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (Cemaden) says is the most intense and widespread drought Brazil has experienced since records began in 1950, near Tefe, Amazonas state, Brazil September 17, 2024. (Reuters)
A man rides a boat in front of the sandbanks at the Solimoes River, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon River, during a Greenpeace flyover to inspect what the National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (Cemaden) says is the most intense and widespread drought Brazil has experienced since records began in 1950, near Tefe, Amazonas state, Brazil September 17, 2024. (Reuters)

Brazilian energy authorities have approved bringing back daylight saving time, a senior official said on Thursday, to save energy as the country faces a major drought that has hit power generation.

Before it goes into effect, reinstating daylight savings time will need to be backed by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

A prolonged drought in Brazil has affected some of the country's largest hydroelectric plants, including two fed by an Amazonian river, forcing a shift to more energy imports and driving up power bills.

Despite the growth of wind and solar power in Latin America's largest economy, more than half its electricity still comes from harnessing the power of rivers and lakes.

Reservoir levels near major hydroelectric plants in key southeastern and center-west areas are expected to end September at below 50%, as the region's rainfall drops to less than half of normal levels.

By moving clocks forward an hour between November and February, daylight saving time would make use of more daylight hours and ease pressure on peak power consumption in the late afternoon when solar plants stop generating as the sun sets.

Former President Jair Bolsonaro abolished daylight savings in 2019, arguing it was no longer benefiting the power sector.

Mines and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira told reporters on Thursday that national grid operator ONS recommended bringing back daylight savings time and an energy committee representing energy entities approved the potential move.

But the minister also expressed some doubts, saying he wanted to evaluate alternatives, even though earlier this week he appeared to signal his support for bringing back daylight savings time, describing it as "a very pressing reality."

Some sectors cheered the possible switch to the previous policy.

Restaurants back the move, as local association Abrasel estimates the extra hour of daylight would help increase clients from 6-8 p.m. and boost monthly revenue by at least 10%.

Moving clocks forward by one hour, however, would complicate airline flight schedules while incurring additional costs to relocate crews.

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Kashmir’s Saffron Growers Experiment with Indoor Farming as Climate Pressures Mount

Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)
Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)
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Kashmir’s Saffron Growers Experiment with Indoor Farming as Climate Pressures Mount

Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)
Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)

Tucked in a valley beneath the snow-capped Himalayas of the Indian Kashmir region is the town of Pampore, famed for its farms that grow the world's most expensive spice - the red-hued saffron.

This is where most of saffron is farmed in India, the world's second-largest producer behind Iran of the spice, which costs up to 325,000 rupees ($3,800) a kg (2.2 pounds) because it is so labor-intensive to harvest.

Come October, the crocus plants begin to bloom, covering the fields with bright purple flowers from which strands of fragrant red saffron are picked by hand, to be used in foods such as paella, and in fragrances and cloth dyes.

"I am proud to cultivate this crop," said Nisar Ahmad Malik, as he gathered flowers from his ancestral field.

But, while Malik has stuck to traditional farming, citing the "rich color, fragrance and aroma" of his produce through the years, some agrarian experts have been experimenting with indoor cultivation of the crop as global warming fears increase.

About 90% of India's saffron is produced in Kashmir, of which a majority is grown in Pampore, but the small town is under threat of rapid urbanization, according to the Indian Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).

Experts say rising temperatures and erratic rainfall pose a risk to saffron production, which has dropped from 8 metric tons in the financial year 2010-11 to 2.6 metric tons in 2023-24, the federal government told parliament in February, adding that efforts were being made to boost production.

One such program is a project to help grow the plant indoors in a controlled environment in tubes containing moisture and vital nutrients, which Dr. Bashir Ilahi at state-run Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences said has shown good results.

"Growing saffron in a controlled environment demonstrates temperature resistance and significantly reduces the risk of crop failure," said Ilahi, standing in his laboratory between stacks of crates containing tubes of the purple flower.

Ilahi and other local experts have been helping farmers with demonstrations on how to grow the crocus plant indoors.

"It is an amazing innovation," said Abdul Majeed, president of Kashmir's Saffron Growers Association, some of whose members, including Majeed, have been cultivating the crop indoors for a few years.

Manzoor Ahmad Mir, a saffron grower, urged more state support.

"The government should promote indoor saffron cultivation on a much larger scale as climate change is affecting the entire world, and Kashmir is no exception," Mir said.