Price of Saffron
The fact that a pound of Saffron costs around $500 to $5000 makes Saffron the world's most expensive spice.
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The annual saffron production worldwide is estimated at 300 tons.
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Saffron is a valuable spice known for its delicate flavour, delicious texture, and bitter taste. This soft spice is procured from the dried stigmas of the Crocus Sativus flower, which have a unique texture and flavour.
Why is Saffron an expensive spice?
The answer lies in the cycle of Saffron creation. Saffron fields need to be kept empty until the next Saffron season arrives.
Farmers cannot reap another plant for the rest of the time. Thus, the cost of production itself is taxing.
1 gram saffron price in India
Each Saffron plant is hand-planted individually. Furthermore, it's a tedious and delicate cycle.
Each Saffron plant yields 2-3 Saffron flowers, and each flower produces three strings of Saffron.
Because of their fragile and delicate nature, the Crocus Sativus flower and Saffron strings must be hand-plucked.
Price of Saffron in India per Kg
About 75,000 Saffron Crocus flowers are needed to get one pound of Saffron Kesar.
This tedious process of plucking the Saffron stigmas by hand is why Saffron is such an expensive spice.
Saffron plantations and production are immensely labour-intensive.
When the flowers blossom in October, they are carefully picked, and the precious stigmas are hand-plucked. Then, the stigmas are dried.
One Saffron Crocus flower weighs about 2mg, usually has three strands, and is sold worldwide in grams.
The red strings or stigmas are then dried in a dry, dark place.
It takes Saffron flowers worth a kilogram to produce merely 8-10 grams of pure Saffron.
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High-quality saffron yields are usually low.
The greater the amount of various non-stigma parts added to the Saffron, the lower the Saffron's quality.
Thus, Saffron production requires massive amounts of human resources, making Saffron the world's priciest spice.
Kashmiri Saffron
Saffron cultivation spans around 3,800 hectares in Kashmir. Pampore and Pulwama produce the highest amount of Saffron in Kashmir. In the Pampore village, Saffron fields spread over 90% of the village land, with only 10% of the land being utilised for other purposes.
Kashmiri Saffron plant is bulbous, often with rounded corns, which have a height of 15-20 cm. Each plant yields two to three lilac-purple flowers with 3.5 5 cm perianth segments and 2.5 - 3.2 cm style branches with six to ten leaves. Annually, India cultivates 40 tons of Saffron.
The yellow style is divided further into stigmata with a bright red colour. It grows around September-October each year, and the planting procedure usually commences around October or November.
Kashmiri Saffron is the best variety in India. Grown in the high altitudes of Kashmir, it is of very high quality. It is handpicked and dried thoroughly.
Many brands provide Kashmiri saffron for approx—Rs 230-Rs 290 per gram.
The quality of Saffron is of utmost importance, especially when consumed during pregnancy. Grade 1 certification Saffron is the purest Saffron you can get.
Kashmiri Saffron is ISO tested and has proven free of additional flavours and artificial colouring agents.
You can unthinkingly purchase Grade 1 certified ISO-tested Kashmiri Saffron, which is excellent for health and beauty.
Saffron accounts for 70% of Kashmir's total cash crop production. However, climate change and global warming have lowered the production of Saffron, and consequently, the price of Saffron has risen by 60-80%.
Iran exports the most Saffron, consigning $51 million worth. India and Spain also import massive amounts of pure Saffron from Iran.
About 20 tons of Saffron is imported to India annually, half of which comes from Iran and other leading producers like China and Spain.
However, some traders blend cheap Saffron imported from Iran with local Saffron to make more profit while selling less pure Saffron. One kilogram of pure Saffron or Kesar currently sells for Rs.250,000 to Rs. 270,000 in the Indian market.
Uses of Saffron
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Cooking
Spice Saffron is used in cooking and dyeing cottage cheese, chicken and meat, mayonnaise, drinks, and cordials. Saffron can be utilised for special bread, cakes, pastries, and dishes of Mughlai cuisine.
You can even add some Saffron to your green tea to elevate the taste of the healthy beverage.
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Medication
Recently, reports of the medical and therapeutic usage of Saffron have surfaced. Not only does it add an excellent flavour to your food, but Saffron has proven to be an essential source of many vitamins and minerals.
Saffron may treat depression, asthma, menstrual cramps, cancer, and more.
Allopathy and Ayurveda are two of the most popular forms of medication. Saffron has a special place in both kinds of medication.
In allopathic medicine, Saffron treats fever, melancholia, and spleen and liver augmentation. In Ayurvedic medicine, saffron is used for arthritis, impotence, and fertility.
Saffron Production
Retailers in Spain, France, Italy, and Iran harvest most Saffron. These countries have sophisticated and well-designed packaging systems and distribution channels.
Developing countries such as Afghanistan find it challenging to establish their mark in the private market's distribution arena because retailers control the existing distribution channels.
The total production of dry Saffron on earth is estimated at 325 tons per year. Iran produces 90% of the total Saffron production. 90% of the Iranian Saffron is grown in the Khorasan province.
In India, Saffron is grown exclusively in Kashmir to date. Recent reports suggest attempts to cultivate Saffron are being made in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.