The Government of India has issued a certificate of Geographical Indication (GI tag) for Saffron grown in the Kashmir Valley. It is the only saffron in the world grown at an altitude of 1,600 m to 1,800 m AMSL (above mean sea level).
This is the first major step to put Saffron produced in Kashmir Valley on the world map with authentication.
Benefits: With the , Kashmir Saffron will acquire more prominence in the export market and would help the farmers get a better remunerative price. It would also stop the prevalent adulteration of Kashmir Saffron and thereby authenticated Saffron will fetch much better prices.
Importance: The GI certification establishes specific geographical origin and certifies certain unique qualities of the product and enables those who have the right to use sign in order to prevent third parties using the sign.
Growing regions: It is grown in some regions of Kashmir, including Pulwama, Budgam, Kishtwar and Srinagar.
Export: Kashmir saffron is a very precious and costly product. Iran is the largest producer of saffron and India is a close competitor. With the GI tag, Kashmir saffron would gain more prominence in the export market.
Flavour: Kashmir saffron is renowned globally as a spice. The unique characteristics of Kashmir saffron are its longer and thicker stigmas, natural deep-red colour, high aroma, bitter flavour, chemical-free processing, and high quantity of crocin (colouring strength), safranal (flavour) and picrocrocin (bitterness).
Three types: The saffron available in Kashmir is of three types:
1. Lachha Saffron: With stigmas just separated from the flowers and dried without further processing;
2. Mongra Saffron: In which stigmas are detached from the flower, dried in the sun and processed traditionally; and
3. Guchhi Saffron: Same as Lachha, except that the latter’s dried stigmas are packed loosely in air-tight containers while the former has stigmas joined together in a bundle tied with a cloth thread.
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