The Saffron Fields of Pampore: A Centuries-Old Legacy
Saffron has grown on the Karewa plateau at Pampore since at least the 14th century. The soil is the reason, and the area under cultivation has been shrinking since the late 1990s.
Saffron cultivation in Kashmir stretches back to at least the 14th century, when Persian traders are believed to have introduced the crocus to the Valley. The Mughal emperors were among the most ardent patrons of Kashmiri saffron - Akbar reportedly ordered saffron planted in royal gardens across the subcontinent, but only the Pampore variety produced the quality he sought. The reason is the soil: the Karewa formation is a rare geological deposit of glacial silt, mineral-rich, with perfect drainage for the moisture-sensitive crocus.
The harvest happens in a dramatic 15-to-20-day window in October and November, when the purple flowers emerge almost overnight. Entire farming families move into the fields before dawn, picking flowers by hand before the sun opens them fully. Delay even an hour, and the petals wilt and the stigmas lose potency - one of the most time-pressured harvests in the world.
By the early 2000s, the industry was in crisis: declining groundwater, erratic snowfall, and competition from cheaper Iranian saffron pushed many farmers to abandon the crop. The area under cultivation has fallen from 5,707 hectares in the late 1990s to about 3,665 as of 2025.
Some families stayed. Saffron of Kashmir grows out of three generations of family saffron farming in Pampore. We work the same fields, sell direct, and keep the Mongra grade the Mughals prized above all spices. Every tin of our saffron represents a direct line from these ancient fields to your kitchen.