A comparative account of Kashmir Saffron (Crocus Sativus Linn)

A comparative account of Kashmir Saffron (Crocus Sativus Linn)
Ghulam Nabi Joo & Syed Muzaffar Ahmad

Introduction
Sweet are the memories of childhood, when autumn used to be a season of festivities, in Pampore and its adjoining hamlets, associated with the harvesting of saffron crop. All the routes leading to major saffron fields were often decorated by vendors, who used to sell their commodities through barter system of trade.

Origin
Saffron derives its name from the Arabic word “Zaafaran” which means yellow, that is the colour of paste of saffron threads. There are different views regarding the origin of saffon. According to one view, saffron is believed to have originated in Turkey, from where it was taken by Arab traders to Spain and Iran. From Iran, the crop was brought to the Kashmir region of India by Persian rulers through Central Asia (Silk Route) around 500 BC. The Persian rulers transplanted the Persian saffron corms on Kashmir soil, once they conquered Kashmir.

According to Kashmiri legend, saffron was brought to the region by two Sufi ascetics, Khawja Masood Wali and Sheikh Sahrif -U-Din during the 11th and 12th centuries AD. However, this view is generally discarded as both these Sufi ascetics were domicile to the Kashmir region. Further famous Kashmiri poet and scholar Muhammad Yousuf Teng is also of the view that saffron had been cultivated in Kashmir for more than two millennia. Saffron finds its mention as far back as 1500 BC in many classical writings as well as in the Bible. The Kashmiri ancient Hindu epic, Nilmat Purana also mentions about the Saffron cultivation in Kashmir. Pampore has been and continues to be the bowl of saffron cultivation in the Kashmir region. From Pampore, the germplasm of saffron was spread to the Kashtiwar region of Jammu province by Mughal rulers. Under the flagship programme of Central government, for revival of saffron through “National Saffron Mission” the crop has been spread to district Budgam and isolated patches of district Pulwama as well.

Cultivation
Saffron is a herbaceous, perennial, cormous plant with acicular leaves. The height of the plant ranges from 20-30 cm. It has a bulbous stem with smaller fibrous roots. It prefers sunny to partly shady, dry, well drained, ordinary garden soil as well as fertile alluvial plateaus of Kashmir. The soil is ploughed a number of times before preparing the floral beds with proper drainage outlets. The corms are planted in rows with an intervening distance of 5 – 8 inches. The planting is usually carried out in the month of September (early autumn). A planted bulb of saffron takes a couple of years to flower. The flower beds require digging and dressing twice a year (one in the early summer and second one in the early autumn), However corms of 20-30 cm circumference size usually flower in the first season of planting.

The corms blossom towards mid-October to mid-November, when each bulb gives rise to one or two purple flowers. After picking the flowers for a few years, the corms must be dug-up, cleaned and replanted, since saffron crop is a triploid (incomplete meiosis) and reproduces vegetatively. The flowers are picked by hand, their stigmas along with the style are separated from rest of the flower and are finally sundried. Each flower contains three stigmas which together with style constitute the most prized spice of the world, the saffron. It takes about 500000 stigmas and styles to constitute one kg of this prized spice. The average production varies from 4-6 kg of dried saffron per hectare.

Production
During the last decade and half, the total area under saffron cultivation has been reduced by 25% while the production and productivity has also receded significantly. As per the data available from the state financial commissioner, Srinagar, the total area under saffron cultivation in the year 1997 was 5,361 hectare, production was recorded at 173.70 quintal and productivity was estimated at 3.24 kg per hectare. However, in the year 2009, the total area under saffron was 3,675 hectare, the production was 91.88 quintal while productivity was recorded at 2.50 kg per hectare.The percentage change during the aforesaid period reveals that area has receded to 31%, the production level reduced to 47% while the productivity has declined to about 23%.

Revenue
Saffron, just two decades back, used to be the most important cash crop of the valley (now replaced by apple). It would fetch crores of rupees as annual returns to the saffron growers of the Pampore area, besides engaging thousands of people one way or the other, in processing of the product for making it marketable. It would earn millions of dollars to foreign exchange reserve of India since saffron grown in other parts of the world (Spain, Iran) could not compete with Kashmiri saffron in flavour aroma and colour.
Grading
There are three varieties of saffron, a Light Yellow Orange Saffron that is light in flavour, an Orange Saffron that is stronger and Reddish Orange Saffron that is highest in flavour. Saffron is also graded via laboratory measurements of crocin (colour), picrocrocin (taste) and safranal (fragrance contents). Higher amounts of these compounds in saffron indicate better quality of saffron.

I S O – The International Organization of Standardization has set a classification of saffron based on minimum requirements of each quality . I S O 3632 has established four empirical grades of saffron I, II, III the finest____ and IVth, the poorest. Research study on Kashmir saffron reveals it is of finest quality approaches to grade I in terms of colouring strength and above grade IInd in terms of aroma and bitterness.

Uses
Saffron has a unique aroma for which there is no substitute. Some of the mouthwatering Indian sweets like kheer and rasmalai are incomplete without the flavour of saffron. Saffron flavoured foods make an everlasting culinary impression on their consumers. Kashmiris are known for their hospitality in serving the guests with the saffron flavoured Kashmiri beverage the Khawa. Kashmiri Pandits used to apply a paste of saffron on their foreheads for having a soothing effect. Saffron threads are popularly used for colouring and flavouring food items like rice and meat dishes, cakes, ice creams, milk shakes and puddings. Saffron has been used medicinally to reduce fevers, cramps and enlarged livers and calm nerves. It also has been used externally for bruises, rheumatism and neuralgia. Saffron is also a medicament for lowering of blood pressure and heart beat and stimulating respiration. It is often eating with ghee to prevent joint and uterus pains.

Challenges
The most important challenge is uncontrolled and unplanned urbanisation of saffron belt, low productivity, lack of irrigation facility and critical inputs like lack of awareness about the package practices and potential technologies. Further the adulteration of saffron, coupled with unorganised marketing infrastructure, pre- and post-harvest management are other major threats (vandalisation of saffron fertile soil for landfills, four-lane national highway project and so on).

(Joo is associate professor, department of botany; Muzaffar is senior associate professor, department of chemistry, A S College, Srinagar. They can be contacted at ghulamnabijoo@gmail,com, syedmuzafar05@gmail.com)