Saffron Cultivation in India

A kilogram of Kashmiri saffron can sell for lakhs of rupees. Yet the fields that grow it, on the karewa terraces around Pampore, have been shrinking for two decades.

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Indian Economy · IndEco0083

Saffron Cultivation in India: Mission vs Reality

2010

National Saffron Mission launched

₹400 cr

Sanctioned outlay (revised 2015)

2020

Kashmiri saffron GI tag awarded

Productivity: mission-era gains

2009-10

2.50 kg/ha

2023

4.42 kg/ha

Pampore land under cultivation: still shrinking

1996

5,707 ha

2017

~3,500 ha

Better yields, smaller fields

Per-hectare productivity nearly doubled under the mission — but urban expansion onto karewa land, poor irrigation, and adulteration keep pulling total output down. Yearly production still fell from 17.33 tonnes (2021) to 14.87 tonnes (2022), recovering only slightly to 14.94 tonnes in 2023.

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Must Know

• India grows almost all its saffron (Crocus sativus) in Jammu and Kashmir, mainly around Pampore.
• Saffron corms are planted on the region’s karewa terraces, at roughly 1,600 to 1,800 metres elevation.
• Kashmiri saffron received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2020, protecting the name for produce grown only in the valley.
• The Government of India launched the National Saffron Mission in 2010, to revive and modernise saffron cultivation.
• The mission introduced sprinkler irrigation, since saffron cultivation had traditionally depended on rainfall alone.

Good to Know

• The mission’s sanctioned outlay is about ₹400 crore, revised upward in 2015 from an original ₹371 crore.
• Under the mission, average productivity rose from about 2.50 kilograms per hectare in 2009-10 to a peak of 4.42 kilograms per hectare in 2023.
• The mission built the India International Kashmir Saffron Trading Centre (IIKSTC) at Dussu, Pampore, with an e-auction facility for growers.
• Despite these gains, land under saffron cultivation in Pampore fell sharply. It dropped from 5,707 hectares in 1996 to around 3,500 hectares by 2017.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. India grows almost all its saffron in which state/UT?

Himachal Pradesh

Jammu and Kashmir

Uttarakhand

Sikkim

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Great to Know

• Poor and uneven irrigation remains a core problem, even after the mission’s sprinkler push — many fields still depend heavily on rain.
• Urban expansion keeps eating into karewa land, the same terraces the crop depends on, shrinking the area available for cultivation.
• Rampant adulteration and the unregulated sale of cheaper saffron as “Kashmiri saffron” have hurt the crop’s market and reputation.
• Erratic weather and early snowfall, linked to climate change, disrupt the flowering cycle saffron depends on.
• Poor-quality corms, declining soil fertility, and rodent or disease infestation add further pressure on yields.

Current Affairs

• Saffron output fell from 17.33 metric tonnes in 2021 to 14.87 metric tonnes in 2022, before a slight recovery to 14.94 metric tonnes in 2023. (Source: Rising Kashmir)
• The government maintains the National Saffron Mission has stabilised the industry, citing rejuvenation of 2,548.75 of the 3,665 identified hectares in the Kashmir division. (Source: Daily Excelsior)
• Critics, including some elected representatives, argue the mission has fallen short of its goals and have called for a formal review of its outcomes. (Source: Kashmir Images)