Saffron, the most precious among almost all spices worldwide, blooms when everything is touched by autumn, offering hope to thousands of people associated with it. Beyond being the economic backbone of Kashmir, saffron holds cultural and historical significance. With its velvety violet appearance and delightful fragrance, saffron boosts the honour of those growing, possessing, marketing, or using it. The high value of saffron-infused edibles and Shahi sweets guarantees their honour, taste, and royal status.
While saffron is grown in various countries globally, KASHMIR SAFFRON is renowned for its unique colour, fragrance, and inherent qualities. The PAMPORE REGION, especially, provides a captivating experience for international, national, and domestic tourists, attracting them to the violet-coloured karewa saffron fields along the national highway 44A, from Barsoo to nearby places of Pampore town. The saffron fields have become a tourist hub, and the growing saffron market, along the Delhi-Srinagar national highway, boasts modern facilities and potential employment opportunities.
The smiling faces of saffron farmers are filled with hope as the red gold grows from the picturesque land from the first week of October to the second week of November, with full blossoms observed from the last week of October to the first week of November every year. Tourists witnessing this scenario create lifelong memories, capturing every pose and moment in the full bloom of velvety saffron fields. The irregular landscape of saffron kareva, surrounded by lush green mountains at a distance, creates a valley look for the saffron kareva.
The saffron industry in Kashmir has a history of about 5000 years. Despite facing challenges in growing and marketing, the government of India launched a 380-crore mission under SAFFRON MISSION for its growth and rejuvenation, incorporating modern research and technology. However, certain factors hindered successful results. Challenges such as global warming, environmental pollution, declining seasonal rainfall, failure of the saffron mission in providing sprinkle irrigation, uncertain national and international markets, high labour costs, and meagre crop production led to decreased production and commercialization of saffron land in the region.
Now, after about two decades of hardships, saffron is blooming again, bringing hope to growers who were disappointed by the decline in production. This resurgence has attracted the attention of the new generation, offering solutions to unemployment and encouraging interest in new research and global market trends. Growers are now focused on ensuring the purity, packaging, and transportation of saffron, with government support for global marketing with a GI tag that guarantees its purity. The return of Kashmiri saffron’s glory is expected to elevate the valley’s overall economic scenario, combat unemployment, and enhance the living standards of the region, bringing smiles once again.
The writer can be reached at [email protected]

Kuchay Yousuf