Kashmir sees rise in saffron production; 2020 record of 13 MT likely to be broken

Saffron flowers are one of the world’s most expensive spices and they are currently sold at Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh per kg.

“By Allah’s grace, the weather has been favourable this year due to which we are seeing bumper crops. Right now, the harvest season is at its peak and everyone is excited to collect the crop and sell,” said Abbas Ali Reshi, a saffron farmer from the Lethpora area of Pampore.

The aroma of sweet saffron flowers has made farmers, including Reshi, ecstatic.

Image Credit: Irfan Amin Malik

Why was there a decline?

Officials at the Department of Agriculture say the total rejuvenated area under saffron cultivation is 3,200 hectares and the annual crop production is 16,000 kg. About 500 hectares under non-rejuvenated areas produce 1,500 kg of saffron annually.

Kashmir has seen a decline in overall saffron production, mainly due to drought and lack of irrigation. The arrival of Iranian saffron added to the woes of the local industry.

According to Reshi, there is significant demand for saffron, which is mostly produced in the karewas (elevated table land) of the Pampore belt in south Kashmir.

Harvested just a year -- from late October until mid-November, Kashmir’s saffron, with botanical name Crocus Sativus Kashmirianus, is cultivated on more than 3,700 hectares of land, mainly in three districts. While Pulwama and Budgam account for 77.57 percent and 16.84 percent, respectively, of the total production, Srinagar accounts for the rest.

From his 20 kanals (1 acre equals 8 kanals) of saffron land, Reshi has, so far, collected 35 kg of saffron flowers. “Once the flowers are processed and dried, they fetch me around Rs 2 lakh- 3 lakh,” he said.

Taking selfies, saffron festival

Such was the saffron bloom this year that hundreds of tourists along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway stopped their vehicles to click pictures and selfies in the saffron fields near the saffron town of Pampore.

There is a festive look with scores of farmers and their families picking the flowers and separating the petals from the stigmas, the thread-like parts.

The three components of a saffron flower—petals, yellow strands, and red threads -- are arranged in the order of their importance. For example, pure saffron is extracted from red strands.

Since 1947, Noor Mohammad Bhat has been growing mostly red saffron from his 55 kanals of land in Lethpora.

Bhat, along with his son Ashiq Hussain Bhat, has been not only growing saffron but also selling the red saffron, mongra, in his decades-old shop along the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

“In the past two years, saffron production has slightly increased. It is still pretty low compared to the past 15 years,” said 40-year-old Bhat, who also prepares and sells hot saffron kahwa in his shop.

On November 1, Kashmir's tourism department invited students and farmers to join the saffron festival organised in Pampore’s Ladoo. The Jammu and Kashmir government organises a saffron festival every year to offer tourists a chance to see the saffron fields and buy the spice directly from growers. The festival also has cultural events.

GI tag helps international marketing efforts

After Kashmir’s saffron received the Geographic Indication (GI) tag, a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation due to that origin, in July 2020, the government is now promoting saffron in international markets.

Traditionally, saffron bulbs — stigmas — are assiduously plucked by men, women and children in a special Kashmiri wicker basket.

Abdul Majeed Wani, president of the All Saffron Growers Association, told Moneycontrol that saffron production has enhanced by around 30 percent owing to the timely rains.

“Rains during the critical period helped in strengthening the roots of corms and increased moisture content. The farmers are following the weather advisories and guidelines issued by the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-Kashmir),” Wani added.

Joint Director, Agriculture Extension, Mohammad Syed Peer, told Moneycontrol that it is too early to estimate the total saffron production this year. However, he said the field report suggests that crop production has increased, compared to previous years.

The department will soon release the projected figure for this year, Peer said.

Image Credit: Irfan Amin Malik

Weather and Spice Park

“Production has increased due to two factors – weather and Spice Park. Saffron crops need frequent rains in August. Fortunately, Kashmir received regular wet spells in August this year.

The role of the Indian International Trade Saffron Spice Park, Kashmir’s first high-tech Spice Park, in overall crop development cannot be ignored. The park has tremendously helped farmers during the pre- and post-harvesting period,” said Peer.

The establishment of a spice park in Kashmir has so far ensured that the bulk of saffron produced in Kashmir is sorted, graded, weighed, dried, packaged, branded, and marketed from the Valley.

Saffron produced in Kashmir is of fine quality because of the higher concentration of crocin, a carotenoid pigment that gives saffron its colour and medicinal value. Its crocin content is 8.72 percent, compared to the Iranian variant’s 6.82 percent.

Muzamil Salmani, in-charge of the e-auction centre at the Indian International Trade Saffron Spice Park, claimed that saffron production is higher, compared to the past 2-3 years.

“The actual target is to produce what farmers were producing some 20-30 years ago. If fields and corms are looked after well, this is achievable. The good thing is that more farmers are now connected to spice parks due to which they are able to find proper marketing channels and higher returns", Salmani told Moneycontrol.