Kashmir Saffron Gets GI Tag

Kashmir saffron gets GI tag

Context

Recently the Geographical Indications Registry has given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag to the famous Kashmir saffron.

It is cultivated and harvested in the Karewa (highlands) in some regions of Kashmir, including Pulwama, Budgam, Kishtwar and Srinagar.
It is a very precious and costly product. Iran is the largest producer of saffron and India is a close competitor.
It rejuvenates health and is used in cosmetics and for medicinal purposes.
It has been associated with traditional Kashmiri cuisine and represents the rich cultural heritage of the region.
Saffron cultivation is believed to have been introduced in Kashmir by Central Asian immigrants around 1st Century BCE. In ancient Sanskrit literature, saffron is referred to as ‘bahukam’.

The saffron available in Kashmir is of three types —

‘Lachha Saffron’, with stigmas just separated from the flowers and dried without further processing;
‘Mongra Saffron’, in which stigmas are detached from the flower, dried in the sun and processed traditionally; and
‘Guchhi Saffron’, which is the 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

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).
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), which adds to its uniqueness and differentiates it from other saffron varieties available the world over.

Source: TH & Wiki