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.

Ramesh informs that apart from the one-time initial investment, one only needs to pay the electricity bills, which cost around Rs 4,500 a month, and the labour costs, rounded up to Rs 8,000 a year.

“Saffron has a good rate in the market. You can earn up to Rs 2.5 lakh per kg in wholesale markets and Rs 3.5 lakh per kg in retail markets. You can also earn up to Rs 6 lakh per kg if you tap into the export business,” he shares.

After reaping substantial profits from sales, Ramesh ventured into training others in Indoor Saffron Cultivation. Today, he runs the ‘Akarshak Saffron Institute’ in Noida, where he has successfully trained over 370 individuals to date. His two-day online training course, priced at Rs 12,000, offers comprehensive guidance and mentorship for a year to interested learners. This endeavour yields him an impressive monthly income of Rs 3.5 lakh.

If you too want to learn saffron cultivation, you can contact Ramesh here.

Edited by Pranita Bhat. All photos: Ramesh Gera.