Indian saffron
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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.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/kashmir-saffron-gets-gi-tag/article31484569.ece