Kashmir is known as the world's second-largest producer of saffron. But far from the valley, the world's most expensive spice blooms in a tiny room of Ramesh Gera's house in Noida.
In 1980, after pursuing electrical engineering at NIT Kurukshetra, Ramesh worked for several multinational companies for over three decades, as part of which he travelled extensively. "In 2002, I travelled to South Korea for work. During my six-month stay, I learnt about advanced farming techniques such as hydroponics, microgreens, and indoor saffron cultivation. I was really impressed by these experiences," he tells The Better India.
"Meanwhile, I came to know that India imports 70 percent of saffron from Iran due to the limited availability within the country, and Kashmir only meets 30 percent of the domestic demands. This gap between demand and supply is a huge market in itself," he adds.
So, the 65-year-old engineer decided to take up saffron cultivation after his retirement. In 2017, he started growing saffron in a 100-square-foot room in Sector 63, Noida. He spent Rs 4 lakh to construct a greenhouse to create a suitable environment to cultivate saffron within an artificial structure. He spent an additional Rs 2 lakh to procure saffron seeds from Kashmir.
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