Brother and sister in their early 20s grow saffron in Ludhiana; sell at Rs8 lakh per kg

When Aastika Narula and her brother Shankar Narula were pursuing their graduation, they planned to start something of their own. A 9-to-5 job wasn’t their first choice, but agriculture always interested them. Seeing their interest, their father began researching new-age farming opportunities instead of the traditional agriculture options.

“My father researched indoor farming and liked the idea of saffron farming the best due to the growing demand for the world's costliest spice. He shared it with us, and we both decided to pursue it using aeroponics,” 24-year-old Aastika, who graduated in humanities from Delhi University, tells 30Stades.

Aeroponics involves growing plants in an air or mist environment without using any substrate like soil or water. Growing saffron outdoors is extremely labour intensive, which adds to its price. 

Indoor saffron farming is rapidly gaining traction due to high saffron demand and shrinking supply from Kashmir where production has decreased from 8 tonnes in 2010-11 to 2.6 tonnes in 2023-24, a decline of over 67 percent, as per government data.

Aastika and Shankar researched for one-and-a-half years about saffron cultivation in Kashmir, Iran, and other places and how it could be done indoors. 

Creating Kashmir in Ludhiana

“The key is to replicate the climate of Kashmir inside a room. This can be done anywhere. It means providing sunlight through grow lights during the day, turning off the lights at night and reducing the temperature to make it cooler like Kashmir,” explains Shankar, 22, pursuing his MBA.

Also Read: Pune man grows saffron on terrace, sells at Rs 6 lakh per kg

The duo set up a room of 44ft X 14ft (616 sq ft) near their house in Ludhiana, Punjab. 

“The four main parameters of indoor saffron farming are temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels and light,” says Aastika.

To ensure good insulation, which also brings down electricity costs, the brother-sister used thermocol sheets. “We used thermocol of 8 to 10cm thickness in all directions, including the floor, to ensure that the room remains cool. After that we installed chillers to maintain the temperature,” she adds.

They then put up racks and wooden trays. 

“We used a combination of grow lights and LED lights. While the grow light replicates sunlight, LED helps to control light intensity and spectrum to optimise plant growth,” says Shankar.

A humidifier is required to maintain humidity levels and in places with high humidity, one needs a de-humidifier. 

“To manage carbon dioxide levels, we have put exhaust fans. There are sensors and meters to measure CO2. In bigger units, when more people come in, the excess CO2 can be vented out using exhaust fans,” he adds.

"We made a total investment of around Rs50 lakh, but indoor saffron farming can be started with Rs7 lakh to Rs8 lakh also in a smaller area," Aastika says.

Also Read: Himachal farmer grows saffron in 300 sq ft unit; sells at Rs5 lakh/kg

Saffron bulbs, plantation and growth

Shankar and Aastika put up around 30 racks, each with four to five wooden trays, for planting the saffron bulbs or seeds. “We procured 1800 kg saffron bulbs from Pampore (known as the saffron bowl of Kashmir) at around Rs1000 per kg,” says Aastika. The bulbs or seeds have to be protected from excess heat and light. 

“The bulbs should be put up in trays within ten days of procurement. One should pay attention to fungus and discard any contaminated seeds. Otherwise, the whole tray will get spoilt,” she says.

The bulbs are placed in trays after removing any soil or debris so that the roots remain exposed. It helps the roots to receive adequate airflow and mist through which the bulbs receive nutrients.

“The shoots appear in about 15 days after planting them in trays,” says Shankar. 

After about seven weeks, saffron bulbs begin producing flowers. The harvesting begins in late October and lasts till mid-November. Each flower produces three red stigmas, which are the saffron threads.

“Stigmas over 16mm are of export quality. We produced 1.3 kg saffron in our first season and sold it at Rs800 per gm (Rs8 lakh per kg) in India and overseas,” he adds.

Aastika and Shankar exported over half of their production to Australia and Canada this year. “We used social media and word of mouth for marketing the saffron,” he adds.

Also Read: Two Gujarati friends grow saffron in the air; sell at Rs9 lakh per kg

Multiplying saffron bulbs for next year

The threads are stored in an airtight container to increase their shelf life. The yellow part of the flower, called kesar patti, is used In food colouring and the cosmetics industry while the petals are used in the perfume industry. The duo have not yet started the sale of petals etc. 

After harvesting, the saffron bulbs are put back into the soil till July to multiply and produce daughter bulbs. “We have replicated the soil in our unit by creating a mix of soil, vermicompost, sand, and other materials. This mix is put in trays where bulbs (after harvest) are put for multiplication,” explains Aastika.

The bulbs multiply annually at the rate of 1.5 times. “So a larger area is required to accommodate them. These bulbs will be removed in early August and planted in trays again for harvesting in October-November 2025,” she adds. 

(Rashmi Pratap is a Mumbai-based journalist specialising in business, financial, and socio-economic reporting)

Also Read: Five farmers earning lakhs from a room in their house

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