World’s best saffron is from Kashmir

By Ehsan Fazili

"WORLD’S best saffron grows here", reads the signboard erected on the right side of the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway, which cuts across the vast fields of saffron at Pampore, about 20 km south of Srinagar. The purple saffron fields attract hundreds of farmers from clusters of adjacent villages in early mornings to pluck the tiny flowers, over 18,000 of which are sun-dried to produce an ounce of saffron. This time of the year — October-November — is the harvesting season, when men, women, young and old family members with colourful baskets move to the fields every morning with sunrise.

Over 2000 acres of land is cultivated for saffron in Kashmir. The annual production is over 10,000 kg. "But with the indifferent attitude of the state government towards the problems of the farmers associated with its cultivation, there has been a degradation of the crops during the recent years", says Mohammad Anwar Bhat, a saffron-grower at Chandhara on the outskirts of Pampore, the saffron town on the national highway. "During the past years, the seeds were changed after more than a decade, but due to lack of attention to this crop, the seedlings have to be changed after every couple of years or so", he adds. These farmers hardly have any paddy fields and make a living out of saffron production only. According to Mushtaq Ahmad, a saffron grower, the import of saffron from Spain and Iran due to the liberal policy of the Central government has "pushed the Kashmir saffron to the backseat".

Ashiq Hussain, a 20-year-old student, accompanies his younger sisters and brothers in plucking flowers in the open fields of his land. There is a thin demarcation between the fields of one farmer and the other. "Flowers first appear on the side of the setting sun on the elevated beds of saffron fields", said Ashiq Hussain. He has to repeat the process of plucking flowers twice more when flowers from all sides blossom. "So far the crop is good. But we will get a clear picture after the next round of plucking, three days from now", Ashiq Hussain said.

In all, there are three rounds of plucking in every field that completes the annual harvest of the costliest spice in the world. The poor families like that of Ashiq Hussain sell it out to the local contractors at prices between Rs 300 and Rs 400 per tola.

Saffron is a cash crop with an alternate bearing pattern. The crop is sown in May-June, and the plucking takes place in October-November. Perhaps a common user does not know that it is the stigma which is the actual saffron. In the winter months of November and December saffron finds its way to the international market. In Kashmir it is used to prepare kahwa and the wazwan mutton dishes on the occasion of marriages. Kahwa served with saffron is a luxurious presentation on auspicious occasions of engagements and marriages.

A highly drained soil of clay-loam is required for this crop and even a little bit of stagnation of water can damage the entire crop. Perhaps that is the reason that early growers of saffron selected Karewas, the highway township of Pampore region and on the outskirts of Kashmir, which has a topographical character, sloping lands and clay-loam soils. For hundreds of years the cultivation remained confined to the Pampore area. About two decades back, the crop was also tried in some parts of Kishtwar area in Doda district of the Jammu region, where it proved to be a success.

The seed of the saffron is reported to have been imported to Kashmir by the Mughals from Iran. That is why the crop is still grown in Iran and on similar slopes in Spain. The Kashmir slopes produce the costliest spice in the world. Later the crop was also tried in sloping lands of the central district of Budgam and Ghutli Bagh hillocks on the outskirts of Srinagar.

While in Kashmir, saffron kahwa is important on auspicious occasions of marriage, it has other uses outside the valley. Most Hindu poojas are incomplete without saffron. In South India, some of the most sacred idols are bathed in saffron water.

The flourishing pan masala industry is also the user of saffron. According to the Kashmir saffron exporters, half of the production finds its way to the tobacco and zarda industry. The rest of the produce is shared by pharmaceuticals, according to Anwar Bhat.

According to experts, the non-availability of processing plants and poor method of packing has hit the prospects of Kashmir saffron in the national and international market as compared to saffron from Iran and Spain.