Saffron adulteration: Lets bunk the saffron junk

Adulteration has badly affected the business of saffron. At national and international level Kashmiri saffron has lost its recognition because of lack of quality control, lack of Standardization, Certification and Quality Assurance. Kashmiri saffron like Afghan saffron is largely unbranded in the national/international markets. There is lack of research and development, low capacity/Knowledge of saffron stakeholders and producers are not aware of the marketing channels and market structure of saffron. Consequently, with the decreasing price of saffron on account of it being adulterated, the dealers have started importing Iranian saffron which is available at cheap rates and mix it with the local product. This practice has badly affected the marketing of Kashmiri saffron. The present article highlights the ways in which Kashmiri saffron is adulterated and suggest remedial measures.