Saffron: India
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Artificial cultivation
2023
Priya Kothari, June 24, 2023: The Times of India
Kashmir is famous for its saffron, the world’s most expensive spice which is notoriously tricky to grow but also to harvest because the delicate flowers have to be hand-picked. But now the farming of saffron, which is a sought-after ingredient for everything from curries to cosmetics and cocktails, is moving to controlled indoor environments in Maharashtra, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh. Students, aspiring entrepreneurs and even software engineers with no farming experience are trying to cultivate the ‘red gold’ as the spice is called.
Haryana-based Naveen and Praveen Sindhu, who used to cultivate Cordyceps militaris, a variety of medicinal mushrooms, have been early movers to saffron growing in a non-traditional region. “We started about three to four years ago. It is as technical as cultivating Cordyceps militaris. We do indoor farming with automated devices to control the temperature, humidity and light to grow the flower that yields saffron,” Naveen said.
With an initial investment of Rs 10 lakh, the Sindhu brothers harvested about 5kg last year. They said that 70% of their harvest is exported to the US, Dubai, Canada and Portugal.
Saffron’s fragrance and flavour are unique and it is used widely in many cuisines. The dried-orangish strands come from the purple crocus sativus plant which has two flowers, each with three stigmas.
Growing saffron and caring for it is a task. “The corms need to be constantly monitored as the weather conditions are critical. The corms or bulbs are planted in late June or early July and they bear flowers by October or early November,” says software engineer-turned-farming entrepreneur Shailesh Modak, who runs 365Dfarms in Pune. The bulbs need at least six to eight hours of sunlight and a welldrained soil that is moderately rich in organic matter.
Harvesting saffron is hard work. Each corm typically bears one or two flowers. The flowers are extremely delicate and aretraditionally plucked when they are in full bloom at sunrise to avoid wilting.
“The stigmas are hand plucked and dried, a labour-intensive process that can take many days. These stigmas are placed in trays for drying for 3-5 days until their moisture content is down to 8-10%. They are then packed and ready for dispatch,” a saffron farmer says. It takes some 200 flowers to produce one gram of saffron.
Estimates indicate that globally around 300 tons of saffron are produced every year. After Iran which contributes to 80% of production, India with 7% is the second largest grower. Spain and Greece are the other producers. Demand for the world’s costliest condiment is higher than its supply which keeps prices up. The scarcity has also encouraged a counterfeit market. Pune resident Richa Somani says earlier she was never sure if the saffron she bought was genuine. “The GI tag for the Kashmiri saffron does help guarantee quality but it is prohibitively costly. Since more people are now farming saffron now, I hope the price comes down,” she adds.
Modak says he had a successful saffron harvest in his first attempt last year with about 500kg of good quality saffron corms from Kashmir. “We were able to harvest 740g last year using soil-less farming cultivation techniques and are now working on the corm production techniques in indoor farming,” Modak adds.
While it may be relatively easy to source corms from Kashmir and grow saffron in a controlled environment, the real challenge lies in corm production, especially in indoor cultivation methods, say saffron farmers.
“We are working on technology for indoor corm production. Once developed, it will be demonstrated to entrepreneurs,” says Bashir Ahmad Allie, head of advanced research station for saffron & seed spices, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.
With the implementation of advanced farming techniques, better corm selection, nutrient management, production of saffron hit a 27-year high in 2022 in Kashmir. Statistics released by the department of agriculture in J&K said saffron production reached 16. 3 metric tons in 2022 as compared to 15 metric tons in 2021.
With saffron selling as high as Rs 500-Rs 700 per gram, indoor saffron farming is emerging as a popular choice. “We have received over 100 queries from students, and prospective entrepreneurs to learn indoor saffron cultivation. We will conduct training sessions in July and August at the university and provide kits to prospective cultivators,” says Allie.
Modak and Sindhu too have conducted training workshops for farmers and agriculture students on saffron farming. “While growing saffron may be lucrative, it requires a lot of initial investment in technology and infrastructure. Many farmers give up if the first crop fails. It requires patience and precision,” points out a saffron cultivator.
