Download A Comparative Study of Saffron Agronomy and Production Systems

A Comparative Study of Saffron Agronomy and Production Systems
of Khorasan (Iran) and Kashmir (India)
M. Kafi, T. Showket
Center of Excellence for Special Crops
Faculty of Agriculture
Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
P.O. Box 91775-1163
Mashhad
Iran
Keywords: Crocus Sativus, flower picking, India, Iran, irrigation, quality
Abstract
Saffron (Crocus sativus), a perennial herb, well-known for its aroma and
used for flavouring, is a culinary delight. Iran is the largest producer of saffron
accounting for more than 65 % of the global saffron production, while India,
which produces 7.0 t, ranks third after Spain. As soil and weather conditions
vary from country to country, a survey was conducted to find out the similarities
and differences in the methods of production of saffron in Khorasan and
Kashmir, which is also known as Small-Iran (Iran-e-saghir), so that the farmers
of the two countries could benefit from each other’s experiences. The basic
climatic differences in the two regions are humidity, altitude and rainfall.
However, the main similarity between the two regions is the low temperature,
which could play a crucial role in growing saffron. Saffron production in
Khorasan is completely dependent on irrigation, while in Kashmir it is rainfed.
The time of planting and harvesting are similar in the two regions, however, in
Khorasan the rate of corm sowing is more frequent and the planting depth is
much higher than in Kashmir. Khorasani farmers believe that during
harvesting, the flowers should be picked daily early in the morning (before
sunrise), because the flowers are short lived, however, Kashmiri farmers not only
pick the flowers in early hours of the morning, but they do so once in four days.
The area under cultivation and production of saffron is increasing in Khorasan
while in Kashmir it is on decline. The price of Kashmiri saffron is much higher
than Iranian saffron. No documented differences could be found between saffron
of Khorasan and Kashmir, except the shorter style along with stigma in
Kashmiri saffron.
INTRODUCTION
Saffron (Crocus sativus), a perennial herb, well-known for its aroma and used
for flavouring, is a culinary delight. It is an important commodity and is of great
significance in the agricultural economies of Iran (Khorasan) and India (Jammu and
Kashmir). While saffron is well known as a spice, it has many other uses in industries
such as food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and perfumery as well as in the textile dyes
(Kafi et al., 2006; Mir, 1992). The State of Jammu & Kashmir (Kashmir) is situated
between 32º 17’ and 36º 58’ north latitude and 37 º 26’ and 80 º 30’ east longitude
and falls in the great north-western range of the Himalayas and constitutes the
northern most extremity of India. The average height of the valley is 1,850 meters
above sea level but the surrounding mountains, which are perpetually snow-clad, rise
from 3,000-4,000 m above sea level (www.jammukashmir.nic.in/profile/facts.htm).
In India most of the saffron production is limited to the state of Jammu &
Kashmir. In Kashmir saffron is chiefly grown in the Pulwama District (73 %)
(Pampore, Balhuma,Wayun, Munpur, Mueej, Konibal, Dus, Zundhur, Letpur,
Sombar, Baras, Ladu and Khrew), Badgam District (Chadura, Nagam, Lasjan,
Ompora and Kralpura), Anantnag District (Zeripur, Srechan, Kaimouh, Samthan and
Buch), Srinagar District (Zewan; Zawreh and Ganderbal) and Doda District
(Kishtwar) (Mir, 1992; Zargar, 2001). Saffron is believed to have been introduced
into the Kashmir valley by the Persian migrants, who along with saffron, introduced
many other plant species, especially the Maple tree known locally as Chinar or Boune
and arts and crafts such as carpet making, embroidery and papier-machie products, to
name a few (Kafi et al., 2006; www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/saffro03.html).
Presently, Iran with a production of more than 70% of the global saffron ranks
first, while India, which produces 7.0 t, ranks third. Saffron, besides being a foreign
exchange earner for both Iran and India, it provides high water productivity, rural
employment and high net profit compared to other crops. (Kafi et al., 2006; Zargar,
2001). More than 90% of Iranian saffron is produced in Khorasan and main regions of
production are Ghaen, Torbat-e-Heydarieh, Gonabad, Ferdows and Birjand. Khorasan
province is located in the east of Iran, having a dry climate, hot summers and
relatively cold winters. The annual precipitation of this area is 170 mm with no
rainfall from May till October. Therefore, all agricultural crops must be irrigated at all
growth stages (Kafi et al., 2006). The total area under saffron cultivation in Iran
increased almost four fold during the last 12 years with a mean annual growth rate of
22.4 %. A similar trend was observed for total saffron production (Fig. 1). However,
total saffron production during the same period increased 2.8 times, with a mean
annual growth rate of 13.7 % (Statistics and Information Center of Ministry of Jehad e
Keshavarzi, 2002; Saffron production in Iran. Report No. 12).
This trend was converse in India during the last 10 years. Saffron, which has
been a legendary, high value and low volume cash crop of Jammu & Kashmir, is still
under-exploited. It was once the chief crop of Kashmiri farmers and is on the decline
now, as is evident from the fact that till 1997-98 the total area under saffron
cultivation in the Valley was 5361 ha and the annual production output was
approximately 17 mt of dry yield while in 2002-03 the total cultivated area was 2710
ha and the production was approximately 6 mt. The decline in cultivation area and
production since 1997-98 is 49 % and 64 % respectively (Molafilabi, 1994;
www.jammukashmir.nic.in/profile/facts.htm; Zargar, 2001).
This survey has been conducted to find out the similarities and differences in
saffron production in Khorasan, Iran and Kashmir, India, so that the farmers of the
two countries could benefit from each others experiences.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The survey was conducted in agronomical years of 2004-2005 and 2005-2006.
There are four main districts of saffron production in Kashmir, namely, Pulwama,
Badgam, Srinagar and Doda. From each district four local farmers were randomly
selected and interviewed by answering a questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised
of 27 questions, which was common for all the farmers. Interestingly, the answers
were so similar and these similarities are also visible in the cultural practice, shape of
farms, as well as post-harvesting practices of saffron in Kashmir Valley. Therefore,
significant differences could not be found among the four areas, but based on these
results, it could be concluded that farmers in Pulwama district were better informed
and were prepared to apply scientific methods. Generally, there is no significant
difference between the systems of saffron production in the 21st century compared
with the last three centuries in this state. The Kashmir region has a very low literacy
percentage (about 59 %), which may be one of the reasons why they are hesitant to
use new methods of farming.
However, certain data, collected while interviewing Kashmiri farmers
consecutively during 2004 and 2005, were conflicting. These parameters included
number of flowers per kilogram (kg), weight of fresh and dry stigma in one kg of
flowers, moisture content of different parts of the flower, efficiency of flower picking
and separating stigma from other parts of the flower.
Data of Khorasan were taken from the results of current researches which have
carried out in the area as well as from other resources available, and by interviewing
farmers in Birjand, Ferdows, and Ghaen. Apart from indigenous knowledge of
farmers and system of production, there are some geographical and climatical
differences that affect the production of saffron in Kashmir and Khorasan. The
climatic and soil conditions of both these countries are detailed below.
Tables 1 and 2 show long term average climatic data of two synoptic
meteorological stations of Birjand (central area of South Khorasan) and Srinagar
(central area of Kashmir). These data revealed that there are many differences
between the climates of two regions, however, both the areas are capable of growing
saffron. For instance, in the case of precipitation, the amount of rainfall in Kashmir is
3.7 times of that of Birjand. The relative humidity of the two regions is quite diverse.
The relative humidity of Srinagar is rarely below 50 % while in Birjand this parameter
is recorded as low as 22 %. The only similarity, which might be the most important
factor for saffron growing, is the temperature (Tables 1 and 2). Although Birjand’s
mean maximum temperature is always higher than that of Srinagar, the trend,
particularly in mean minimum temperature, and the difference between the maximum
and minimum temperature of two cities, is nearly the same (Fig. 2).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Method of Planting
In Kashmir, at the advent of spring, i.e. in late March, which lasts till April,
the field is repeatedly ploughed either by a plough, or twice by tractor at an interval of
about 20 days. Subsequently, in August leveling and hoeing operations are carried
out. Fields are pulverized three to four times. Ideally 15-20 t of well-decomposed
farm manure per hectare of land are applied and thoroughly mixed into the soil before
the last tillage operation (Mir, 1992; Munshi et al., 2001; Zargar, 2001).
The field is laid out into 1.5-2 meter wide strips (normally 2-3 m long) across
the field with slopes along the sides, which end up in 30 cm wide 20 cm deep
drainage channels on both sides. These channels help in draining out the excess water.
The corms are sown 12-15cm below these raised beds at a distance of 10x20 cms. The
most suitable time for sowing the corms is from the last week of August till mid
September, however, some farmers also sow corms after this period, but the yield is
not up to the expectations (Mir, 1992; Munshi et al., 2001; Zargar, 2001).
In Khorasan saffron is planted either in dry or moist beds. In traditional
systems, corms are planted in hills 25 cm apart and with sometimes up to 15 corms
per hill with no row arrangement. When corms are planted in rows, shallow ditches
30-35 cm apart are made by a furrower and corms are arranged in hills of 3 to 15
corms and finally covered with soil. Flat bed planting in Khorasan has been reported
to be advantageous compared with furrow planting (Gharaii and Beygi, 1991;
Molafilabi, 1994; Shirmohamadi and AliakbarKhani, 2002).
Since saffron is solely reproduced by corms, its size and health is crucial for
productive farming. Small corms do not have the potential to produce flowers in the
first year (Sadeghi, 1983). Corms weighing more than 5g are capable of producing
flowers in the first year. In Khorasan corms with a weight of more than 5 g are
selected for planting. Farmers are not particular about the selection of the corm size.
They sow 3-15 corms in each hill to compensate for the number of flowers produced
by smaller corms. In one investigation in Shiraz, Iran, it was shown that corms
weighing less than 8g were not recommended (Sadeghi, 1983; Shirmohamadi and
AliakbarKhani, 2002).
In Kashmir, the size of the corm is usually expressed by its diameter and
corms diameter above 2 cm are recommended for sowing. It is not common in
Kashmir to sow more than one corm in each hole (Hassan et al., 2001; Munshi et al.,
2001). Therefore, the number of corms sown in one unit of land is much lower than
that of Khorasan. For instance, in one m2 of saffron farm in Khorasan 150-250 corms
are sown, if the average corm size be 5 g, more than 10 t/ha of corm is needed.
Kashmiri farmers sow less than half of this amount; about 5 t of corms are sown per
hectare of land. This could be the main reason why the farmers of Kashmir harvest
negligible saffron flowers in the first year and in some areas in the second year after
sowing.
Irrigation System
Saffron is well adapted to the rainfall patterns of Southern Khorasan. It should
be mentioned that the total average precipitation of Khorasan is less than 120 mm
during growth season of saffron, and evapotranspiration is much more than the
rainfall, therefore, irrigation is essential for saffron farming. Since water requirements
for other plants are low in winter, there is no competition with saffron for irrigated
water at this time. However, in Khorasan, initial irrigation in the fall and last
irrigation in mid spring, which are most crucial seasons for saffron flowers to emerge,
are based on competition with other crops. In such cases priority is given to saffron
due to its high economic return (Kafi et al., 2006; Shirmohamadi and AliakbarKhani,
2002).
Rains naturally irrigate the saffron fields throughout Ksahmir Valley. Farmers
are not aware of the use of irrigation systems for irrigating their fields. They rely
solely on rains. If the rains fail, the crops fail too. No effort is being made either by
the Government agencies or the research centres to incite farmers to use irrigation to
increase their yield. The Total rainfall of Srinagar during saffron growing period is
404 mm, but its distribution is not regular, and usually saffron faces some water
stress. Although water requirement is low in saffron, water stress affects the yield,
growth and development (Hassan et al., 2001; Mir, 1992; Munshi et al., 2001).
Fertilization of Saffron Farm
In Iran cow manure with rates of 20-80 t/ha based on the type of soil and
farming practices, is applied to saffron fields. However, chemical fertilizers are used
with rates of 100 kg/ha ammonium phosphate at the time of breaking the soil crust
(after first irrigation in early autumn) and 100 kg/ha urea at the time of first weeding
(Gharaii and Beygi, 1991; Sadeghi, 1983; Shahandeh, 1990).
In Kashmir, before sowing the corms, animal manure of 20 to 100 t/ha is
applied in autumn or winter with soil ploughing along with a second application of 5
to 6 t/ha of animal manure in April and May (Ganai, 2001).
Although the result of research carried out by Share Kashmir University of
Agricultural Sciences indicates that in addition to application of farm manure,
chemical fertilizers like 40 kg N, 50 kg P2O5 and 30 kg K2O per hectare are required
to restore and sustain soil fertility; in actual practice, the growers in this region do not
use chemical fertilizers (Mir, 1992; Munshi et al., 2001; Zargar, 2001). The
differences and similarities in cultural practice of saffron in Kashmir and Khorasan
are shown in Table 5.
Flower Picking and Drying Techniques
Harvesting saffron includes picking the flowers manually and separating the
thread-like stigma, which is a delicate job also performed by hand. Flower-picking
starts as soon as they appear in the field. This should be done on a daily basis because
flowers are short-lived and if they are left for a longer period, not only can they get
damaged, but the quality of saffron also decreases. Picking flowers generally begins
from October to November in Khorasan but this differs in the region according to the
climate variability and time of first irrigation. The flowering period of a field lasts for
15 to 25 days, starting gradually and reaching a peak from the 7th to 10th day. Flowers
are picked early in the morning and before sunrise, while in some areas this is also
done in the afternoon (Ingram, 1984; Mir, 2001; Molafilabi, 1994).
There is a strong belief among Khorasan farmers that the saffron flower
should not be exposed to the sun and based on this tradition flowers are picked every
morning before sunrise, while in some areas this is also done in the afternoon (Kafi et
al., 2006).
In Kashmir flowers are not picked up daily but once in four days, before 9
o’clock in the morning. This method of flower collecting in Kashmir might cause lost
of quality as well quantity of yield (Ghani, 2001; Mir, 2001; Munshi et al., 2001).
The process of drying has a great effect on the quality and worth of the final
product. In the traditional Iranian system when the stigma and style are separated
from the flower, it is spread in rows either on a cloth or piece of paper and dried in the
shade. This system is not free from defects. The main defect is that it takes a longer
time to dry. The longer the span of time the greater is the probability of
microorganism growth and pollution. During the last few years this conventional
system has been losing ground, and electric ovens are now being used.
In Kashmir saffron is dried by two methods. In the first method the stigma and
style are separated from the other parts of the flower and are then placed directly
under sunlight. They are left in the sunlight till the moisture evaporates, and only 10–
12 % water content remains in the stigma. In accordance with the temperature, it takes
three to five days to dry the product. In the second method the whole flower is dried
under direct sunlight instead of drying only the stigma and style. Subsequently the
stigma is separated from the flower by hand (Ghani, 2001; Mir, 2001; Molafilabi,
1994).
Flower Characteristics
There are many genetical and environmental factors affecting flower size and
ratio of different parts of the flower. The main objective of plant breeders and growers
is to increase the ratio of stigma in the saffron flower. Environmental factors such as
physical and chemical properties of the soil, time of harvesting the flowers, age of the
corms and cultural practices can influence the size of the flower and stigma inside it
(Kafi et al., 2006; Mir, 1992). The results of one experiment showed the varied age of
the fields had no effect on the number of flowers in a unit weight. On average in each
kilogram of fresh saffron flowers in Khorasan, there were 2,173 flowers (with the
coefficient of variation = 9.73%). Table 3 shows the weight of the parts of the flower
on the basis when they were fresh or dry (Molafilabi, 1994).
For producing one kg of dry stigma (superior saffron) 105.4 kg of fresh
flowers are required, which is equal to about 230,000 flowers. For producing one kg
of dry stigma and style (standard saffron) 78.5 kg of fresh flowers are required, which
is equal to 170,000 flowers. By taking these results into consideration, it becomes
quite clear that in 100 g standard saffron of Khorasan there are 25.5 g of style and
74.5 g of stigma (Kafi et al., 2006; Mir, 2001; Molafilabi, 1994).
The results for checking the number of flowers per kg in three different
regions of Kashmir Valley showed that the number of flowers per kg varied between
2,680 and 3,840, which indicates that the saffron flowers of Kashmir are smaller than
those of Khorasan. There may be two reasons behind these results, firstly the tails of
the picked flowers in Khorasan are longer, which make the flower heavier. Secondly,
the moisture content of Kashmiri saffron is lower than that of Khorasan, because the
flowers after emergence are kept for few days in the field and the flowers lose their
water content thereby becoming lighter in weight, whereas in Khorasan, the flowers
are picked early in the morning, every day and, therefore, the relative water content of
the flowers is high. Comparing the results of Tables 3, 4 and 5 shows that Khorasani
saffron contains 80 % moisture while Kashmiri saffron contains 68.5 % moisture. The
tests that have been carried out on saffron in Kashmir show that the parts of a fresh
saffron flower contain 8 % stigma, 2 % style, 80 % sepals and petals, 8 % stamen and
2 % residue while in the data of Table 3, Khorasan saffron contains about 3 % style
(Mir, 1992; Mir, 2001).
CONCLUSIONS
Although the principle of saffron production in Kashmir and Khorasan are
similar, there are many differences in the methods of production, processing and
marketing. These differences arise from parameters such as climate, technical
facilities, economical situations and government policies. The main similarities and
differences in methods of production, processing and marketing of saffron are
presented in Table 5. In Kashmir if the state government does not take steps to
educate farmers of the latest developments and how these new methods can help them
to increase their yield, the future of saffron cultivation is very bleak.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I remain indebted to my colleagues at the Center of Excellence for Special
Crops at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad for their technical and moral support.
Literature Cited
Ganai, M.R. 2001. Nutrient status of saffron soils and their management. Seminarcum-Workshop on the Development of Saffron, Srinagar-India.
Ghani. M. Y. 2001a. Post harvest handling & processing of saffron. Seminar- cumWorkshop on the Development of Saffron.
Gharaii, H.A. and Beygi, M. 1991. Evaluation of physicochemical and mineralogy of
soils in Saffron growing areas of Estahban. Scientific and Research Organization
of Iran Shiraz Institute, annual report.
Hassan; Badrul and Shah, M. H. 2001. Increased sustainability & yield of saffron in
Kashmir. Seminar-cum- Workshop on the Development of Saffron, SrinagarIndia.
Ingram, J. S. 1984. Saffron (Crous sativus L.). Trop. Sci. 11:1771-1774.
Islamic Republic of Iran Meteorological Organization. Meteorological Yearbooks
1955-2000. I. R. of Iran Meteorological Organization, Tehran, Iran.
Kafi, M., A. Koocheki, M.H. Rashed Mohassel, M, Nassiri. 2006. Saffron, production
and processing. Science Publishers, New Hampshire, USA.
Mir, G.M. 1992. Saffron Agronomy in Kashmir. Gulshan Publishers, Srinagar- India.
Mir, M.A. 2001. Post harvest and processing of saffron. Seminar-cum- Workshop on
the Development of Saffron, Srinagar-India.
Molafilabi, A. 1994. Study of the Flower Components of saffron-Proceedings of
Second National Congress on saffron & Medicinal Plants. Scientific & Industrial
Research organization of Iran, Khorasan Institute (Persian).
Munshi, A. M; Wani, S. A. and Tak, G. M. 2001. Improved cultivation practices for
saffron. Seminar-cum-Workshop on the Development of Saffron, Srinagar-India.
Sadeghi, B. 1983. Effects of corm weight on flower initiation of Saffron. Scientific
and Research Organization of Iran. Khorasan Institute, annual report.
Shahandeh, H. 1990. Evaluation of physico-chemical characters of soil and water for
Saffron production in Khorasan. Scientific and Industerial Research Organization
of Iran Khorasan Institute, annual report.
Shirmohamadi, A. and AliakbarKhani, Z. 2002. Effects of methods and number of
irrigations on Leaf Area Index, canopy temperature and yield of Saffron. MSc.
thesis,
Shiraz University.
Statistics and Information Center of Ministry of Jehad e Keshavarzi.2002. Saffron
production in Iran. Report No. 12.
www.Botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/saffro03.html
www.jammukashmir.nic.in/profile/facts.htm
Zargar, G.H. 2001. Genetic variation in saffron & importance of quality seed corms.
Seminar-cum- Workshop on the Development of Saffron, Srinagar-India.
Table 1. Average weather conditions including average rainfall, average maximum
and average minimum daily temperature, average sunlight, relative and humidity in
Birjand, Khorasan
Month
Temperature
Average
Precipitatio
n (mm)
Average
Sunlight
hours/month
Min. Max.
Avg.
Jan
-2.2
11.0
4.4
33.8
Feb
-0.2
13.2
6.5
March
4.3
18.4
April
9.5
May
Relative humidity
Min.
Max.
Avg.
139.8
38
78
58
31.4
189.4
34
76
55
11.4
36.6
208.0
28
70
49
24.4
16.9
32.4
230.0
23
61
42
13.6
30.3
21.9
8.9
299.9
17
45
31
June
17.7
35.0
26.4
0.4
334.4
14
34
24
July
19.7
35.8
27.7
0.1
353.3
14
33
24
Aug
17.0
34.5
25.8
0.1
350.6
14
35
25
Sept
12.1
31.7
21.9
0.1
302.3
14
36
25
Oct
6.9
26.4
16.7
2.2
285.5
18
45
32
Nov
2.2
19.7
11.0
7.9
230.1
23
59
41
Dec
-1.1
13.3
6.1
22.1
193.4
34
73
54
Annual
8.3
176
3,171.2
22.6
54
36.8
24.5
16.4
Table 2. Average weather conditions including average rainfall, average maximum
and average minimum daily temperature, average sunlight and relative humidity in
Srinagar, Kashmir
Month
Jan
Min.
-2.0
Max.
5.0
Avg.
1.5
Average
Precipitation
(mm)
74
Feb
-1.0
7.0
3.0
71
112
88
68
March
3.0
14.0
8.5
91
124
84
57
April
7.0
19.0
13.0
94
180
79
52
May
11.0
24.0
17.5
61
248
71
43
June
14.0
29.0
21.5
36
240
67
40
July
18.0
31.0
24.5
58
248
73
46
Aug
18.0
31.0
24.5
61
248
78
49
Sept
12.0
28.0
20.0
38
240
76
43
Oct
5.0
22.0
13.5
31
248
78
48
Nov
-1.0
16.0
7.5
10
210
82
51
Dec
-2.0
9.0
3.5
33
155
88
63
Annual
6.8
19.0
13.0
658
2,346
79.5
53
Temperature
Average
Sunlight
Hours/mon.
93
Relative
Humidity
a.m.
p.m.
90
76
Table 3. The average weight of the parts of the flower that comprised one kilogram of
fresh flowers
Stigma (g)
Style (g)
Stamen (g)
Sepal and Petal (g)
Fresh weight
47.39
(g)
28.93
59.35
864.33
Dry weight
9.48
3.26
14.78
98.36
Table 4. The average weight of one kilogram of fresh flowers from different parts of
Kashmir
Region
Flowers/kg
Khrew (Pampore)
Charar-e-Sharif (Budgam)
2,680
3,840
Wet saffron
weight g/kg
64.0
65.5
Dry saffron
weight g/kg
18.0
20.4
Moisture
content (%)
71.9
68.9
Zaiwan (Pulwama)
3,328
60.0
21.2
64.7
Chadura (Pulwama)
Average
3,004
3,213
62.0
62.9
19.6
19.8
68.4
68.5
Table 5. Comparison of environmental and managemental practices for saffron in Iran
(Khorasan) and India (Kashmir).
Condition or practices
Kashmir
Khorasan
Altitude (m)
Relative humidity (%)
Annual precipitation (mm)
Type of soil
Soil organic content (%)
No. of corms/hill sown
No. of corms/m2 sown
>1,500
60-85
600-800
Lacustrine deposits (Karewas),
1
Single corm
40 - 50
>1,000
40-50
120-210
Variable soils
<1
3-15
150-250
Interspacing (cm)
Sowing depth (cm)
Corm planting rate (t/ha)
Maximum age of the field (years)
Irrigation (No. of times)
Flower yield in first year (kg/ha)
Flower yield in second year (kg/ha)
Flower yield in third year (kg/ha)
Flower yield, third to eighth year (kg/ha)
Average flower yield (kg/ha/year)
Pests
Duration of flowering
Interval of flower picking (once/days)
Time of flower picking in the day
Flower transportation
Mean yield (kg/ha)
Marketable part
Number of flower/kg
Moisture content at harvesting (%)
Final moisture content (%)
Labor cost/day (US $)
Local price (US$/kg)
Quality control
10 - 20
10 - 15
5-7
5 to 20 years
Rain, no irrigation
Almost negligible
10 - 20
40 - 50
80 - 150
100
Mice
20th Oct. -10th Nov.
3-4
9 am – 6 pm
In baskets
3.2
Stigma
2,700 – 3,000
70
Approx. 8 - 10
2-3
580
No control by government or
associations
Soil utilization after saffron
Vacant or some crops like
mustard, pulses
Direct sunlight.
Spain, France, The USA, The
UK, UAE
25 - 30
15 - 20
10 - 12
7 - 12
At least 5
10 - 20
30 - 40
120 - 170
150 - 250
175
Mice & other rodents
20th Oct.-10th Nov.
Picked everyday
6 am - 10 am
In bags
4.7
Stigma, fresh flower
2,000 – 2,500
80
Approx. 7
3-5
350
Controlled by
government and
associations
Wheat, barley
Method of drying
Five main destinations for export
Shade, oven
UAE, Spain, Italy,
France, Switzerland
50
200
Kashmir (,000 ha)
Kashmir (Ton)
160
Khorasan (Ton)
0
0
03
-2
0
97
20
02
19
96
19
95
19
94
19
93
19
91
19
90
19
-9
8
40
-9
7
10
-9
6
80
-9
5
20
-9
4
120
-9
2
30
Production (Ton)
40
-9
1
Area under Cultivation (,000 ha)
Khorasan (,000 ha)
Time
Temperature(0C)
Fig. 1, Trend of area under cultivation, and production of saffron in Kashmir (India)
and Khorasan (Iran) during 1990-2002. The omission of some years between these
periods is due to non-availability of official data
Srinagar Min.
Birjand Min.
Birjand Max.
Srinagar Max.
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
Ja
n
Fe
b
ar
M
Ap
r
ay
M
g
pt
ne July
Au Se
Ju
Month of Year
ct
O
N
ov
D
ec
Fig. 2. Trend of mean monthly maximum and minimum temperature of Birjand
and Srinagar