Saffron beyond Kashmir a step towards Atam Nirbhar Bharat

Saffron is the important spice crops used in Indian cuisine since time immemorial and
has medicinal properties. Currently, it is grown in the Pampore and Kishtwar regions ofJammu and Kashmir. To promote its cultivation beyond Kashmir, CSIR-IHBT Palampur conducted a one-day training program on the cultivation of saffron in non traditional areas of HP for the agriculture officers on June 18, 2021. More than fifteen officers from Chamba, Kinnaur, Mandi, Kullu, Kangra and Shimla districts participated in the program through virtual mode.

Dr Sanjay Kumar, Director CSIR-IHBT told that an annual production reaches up to 6-7 t from an area of nearly 2,825 hectares of land, which is not sufficient to meet the annual demand of India (100 t); hence the spice is sold at a premium price of 2.5-3.0 lakh a kilo in the market. To meet thed omestic demand, most of the saffron is being imported from Iran.

 

CSIR-IHBT is working on a project with the State Agriculture Department of H.P., which aims to
promote saffron cultivation and identify important niche areas beyond Kashmir, a step towards making India self-reliant in saffron production.

Growing saffron in the state will make a big impact on the state’s economy, cut short its imports, and be a step towards fulfilling the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat. According
to Dr Kumar, good quality, disease-free flowering size corms (seed) is the main bottleneck of saffron production. To overcome this problem, state of the art new
tissue culture facility is under construction at CSIR-IHBT, which will be capable of producing 3.5 lakhs disease-free corms per annum. Dr Rakesh Kumar, Senior
Principal Scientist cum Principal Investigator of the project, conducted the training program and discussed in detail about selection of site, agrotechnology, post-harvest processing and biotic and abiotic stress management.

Chemically saffron has three main compounds: viz., Crocin, picrocrocin and Safranal, which are responsible for its color, taste, and aroma.

He emphasized the importance of saffron cultivation in non- traditional areas of Bharmour, Tissa in Chamba, Sangla valley in Kinnaur, Nirmand in Kullu, Bara Banghal area in Kangra districts of HP having suitable climate for its production that can give farmers a higher return compared to the traditional crops.

Saffron grows well in a dry temperate climate at an altitude of 1500-2800 m amsl.

For flowering, an area covered with snow during winters is suitable. 23-27°C is the optimum
temperature for flowering and corm production. Corms require a temperature of 17°C for flower production after dormancy.

Agriculture officers shared their experiences and discussed the queries of farmers growing saffron in HP under the joint project of saffron between CSIR-IHBT and the Agriculture Department, Govt. of HP. More such training will be conducted in future for capacity building of agriculture officers and farmers of the state.