By: Ulvee Muneer

In the lush landscape of south Kashmir is Pampore, widely referred to as India’s saffron town. Its soil is not only fertile, it is holy to its people, tilled by generations of tradition and labour. Here, on the elevated tablelands called karewas, blooms one of the world’s most precious crops: saffron, or Zafran, prized for its deep crimson strands, rich aroma, and unmatched medicinal qualities.

India is the world’s second-largest saffron producer, and a whopping 90% of it is produced by Pampore alone. This delicate strip of land produces close to 7% of the world’s saffron output. What makes Kashmiri saffron stand out from its international rivals, specifically Iran, the largest saffron-producing country, is its high content of crocin. Crocin decides colour as well as antioxidant value. Whereas Iranian saffron has approximately 6.82% crocin, Pampore’s saffron has a remarkable 8.72%, which not only makes it more colourful but also more effective in medicinal properties. For centuries now, this has rendered Kashmir’s saffron the most popular type in the culinary and pharmaceutical sectors across the globe. Beyond its global prestige, saffron plays a deeply local role. In the Valley, over 32,000 families, 11,000 of whom are women, depend directly on saffron cultivation. From plucking delicate purple flowers to drying and packaging, saffron provides both livelihood and a sense of identity for these communities. The heritage crop is not merely agriculture, it is memory, ritual, and survival. Even after enduring decades of political unrest, market adulteration, and smuggling in transit, the Kashmir saffron fields today are threatened by a more insidious, though equally damaging, menace, one that digs underground: the Indian crested porcupine.

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