Indian saffron

Description

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Context

The price of Indian saffron has skyrocketed in the international market after the Taliban crisis hit Afghanistan’s export of the world’s most expensive spice.

Saffron production

Iran, India, Spain and Greece are the major saffron producing countries with Iran occupying the maximum area and contributing about 88% of world's saffron production.
Though, India occupies the 2nd largest area but produces approximately 7 per cent of the total world production.

Kashmir saffron

Kashmir saffron is renowned globally as a spice.
Saffron cultivation is believed to have been introduced in Kashmir by Central Asian immigrants around 1st Century BCE. In ancient Sanskrit literature, saffron is referred to as ‘bahukam’.
It rejuvenates health and is used in cosmetics and for medicinal purposes.
The unique characteristics of Kashmir saffron are its longer and thicker stigmas, natural deep-red colour, high aroma, bitter flavour, chemical-free processing, and high quantity of crocin (colouring strength), safranal (flavour) and picrocrocin (bitterness).
It is the only saffron in the world grown at an altitude of 1,600 m to 1,800 m AMSL (above mean sea level), which adds to its uniqueness and differentiates it from other saffron varieties available the world over.
Kashmir saffron, which is cultivated and harvested in the Karewa (highlands) of Jammu and Kashmir, got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2020.

Types

The saffron available in Kashmir is of three types —
‘Lachha Saffron’, with stigmas just separated from the flowers and dried without further processing;
‘Mongra Saffron’, in which stigmas are detached from the flower, dried in the sun and processed traditionally; and ‘Guchhi Saffron’, which is the same as Lachha, except that the latter’s dried stigmas are packed loosely in air-tight containers while the former has stigmas joined together in a bundle tied with a cloth thread.

Boosting Saffron Exports

Kashmiri saffron had received the GI tag in July 2020 and this has boosted the domestic as well as the overseas business opportunities for Kashmir’s Saffron Market.
With production declining and concerns of adulteration increasing, the prestigious GI tag is expected to restore saffron its earlier market size. To further enhance the production of saffron a few things must be considered:
Provision of good quality and high yield seeds.
Extension in the area of cultivation and production.
Extensive use of solar drier and air drier. Financial help for the purchase of these apparatus.
Appropriate training for packing the produce.
The expert's total and equal cooperation and coordination with the saffron growers.
Marketing is also one of the main problems. An average saffron grower finds it troublesome to sell the small quantity of his produce.
The grading and packing individually is not highly profitable. The cultivator has scarce resources.
So, this is necessary that cooperative societies are formed to sell the saffron at remunerative prices.
A proper strategy must be devised and the whole activity must be so organized that the average saffron growers gets full benefits of his toils.