Srinagar: Indoor cultivation of saffron, the “world’s costliest spice”, may be possible if a new method developed by scientists in Kashmir turns out to be feasible.
The new method promises to yield two kilograms of saffron from a 20X20 feet closed room, against the traditional method that would take about 54,000 sq feet of land to produce the same amount, says Dr Bashir Ilahi, one of the scientists who worked on the project.
Dr Ilahi, who is a scientist at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), says the total demand for saffron in India is 100 metric tonnes, of which Kashmir supplies 10 to 15 metric tonnes.
As per government data, Kashmiri saffron, grown at an altitude of 1,600 meters, has seen a steep decline in production. This decline is often contributed to conversion of the saffron land to other purposes. This land had come down to 3,715 hectares in 2009-10 from 5,707 hectares in 1996. Besides, saffron yield has shown a sharp decline from 3.13 kg per hectare to 2.5 kg per hectare in recent years.
Amid this situation, indoor cultivation of saffron can prove to be a blessing for more than 30,000 farmers who cultivate it in Kashmir. Dr Ilahi maintains that a farmer can do it even inside his home.
“What he needs to do is to get the corn, spread it over 450 trays, in a room for 80-90 days between August and October. Then he has to keep it under sunlight for some days. He will get same quality of the saffron produced by the traditional method,” Dr Ilahi told Kashmir Reader.
He added that the university (SKUAST) has successfully achieved the desired results for the second consecutive year after this method was first put to use in 2019.
Dr MH Khan, Dr NA Dar, and Dr GH Mir are the co-scientists of the project at the Advance Research Station for Saffron and Seed Species at SKUAST.

Junaid Nabi Bazaz