- Kashmir saffron, which is cultivated and harvested in the Karewa (highlands) of Jammu and Kashmir, has been given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry.
- The spice is grown in some regions of Kashmir, including Pulwama, Budgam, Kishtwar and Srinagar. 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.
- The saffron available in Kashmir is of three types — ‘LachhaSaffron’, with stigmas just separated from the flowers and dried without further processing; ‘MongraSaffron’, in which stigmas are detached from the flower, dried in the sun and processed traditionally; and ‘GuchhiSaffron’, 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.