Saffron cultivation in closed room using Aeroponic Technique, Himachal’s Gaurav started saffron production after learning from the internet

Gaurav cultivates saffron using Aeroponic Technique. In this technique, saffron is grown in a closed room. An attempt is made to create the environment of Kashmir in a closed room. This technique is soilless.

Saffron cultivation is becoming increasingly popular in India. Now many farmers in the country are cultivating saffron in closed rooms using Aeroponic Technique. One such person is Himachal’s Gaurav. Gaurav Sabharwal, a resident of Solan, Himachal Pradesh, learned to cultivate saffron from the internet. Let us tell you that Solan city is famous all over the country for its mushroom production. Meanwhile, Gaurav is creating a new way of employment by growing saffron. He is doing business worth lakhs from this work. He has sold his first saffron crop for Rs 2.5 lakh. Gaurav has been cultivating saffron for the last one and a half years. Along with this, he also gives training to farmers. Know Gaurav’s full story in this article.

What is Aeroponic Technique?

Gaurav cultivates saffron using aeroponic technology. In this technique, saffron is grown in a closed room. An attempt is made to create the atmosphere of Kashmir in a closed room. This technique is soilless. In this technique, devices like rack, tray, chilling device, humidity fire are used. With these devices, the room is given an atmosphere like Kashmir.

How did the idea of ​​saffron cultivation come?

Gaurav Sabharwal of Himachal Pradesh had no knowledge of farming earlier. His father had a shoe shop and after his father’s death, he was managing the same shop. After some time, he did not see any hope of moving forward in this work. After this, Gaurav started looking for a new business. Through a few days of internet research, he got information about growing indoor saffron using aeroponic technology.

He liked this idea so much that he decided to grow saffron for the first time in the mushroom capital Solan. He says-

“This was a risk but I took it. I started it after doing research on the internet. I came to know that the demand for saffron in the market is high but the supply is low. There were chances of success in this business. With the help of friends, I started indoor cultivation of saffron. 500 saffron bulbs can be planted in 300 square feet.”

How to start indoor saffron cultivation via Aeroponic Technique?

Gaurav says that a new farmer should start indoor saffron cultivation from 200 to 250 square feet. It costs Rs 6 lakh to Rs 7 lakh to cultivate saffron with hydroponic technology. Saffron cultivation starts in mid-August. Saffron is harvested in the month of November. Currently, Gaurav is harvesting only once a year. He is trying to harvest saffron for the second time. The cost in the name of maintenance is electricity bill.

What is the maintenance in saffron cultivation?

Many precautions have to be taken in saffron cultivation. The most important thing is fungus. The seeds should be protected from fungus. It is important to control the room temperature. Temperature has a great impact on the crop. The humidity of the room should also be controlled. Gaurav tells that he had brought saffron seeds from Kashmir. The seeds have to be treated before planting the crop. Humidity should be kept between 60 and 65. Humidity should be changed at different times. Along with this, temperature and carbon dioxide level (CO2) also have to be maintained.

How to control diseases in saffron cultivation?

Gaurav further tells that diseases do occur in saffron cultivation in aeroponic technology. For example, fungus. Fungus starts from the seed. If a seed gets infected with fungus, then to prevent it, that seed should be taken out from the tray and buried in the soil. That seed can be used next year, but before that the seed has to be treated.

When to do soiling of saffron seeds?

Once the crop is harvested, the seed has to be soiled. In this method, soil has to be prepared. Vermicompost should be added to it. He says-

“If we do soiling of seeds in November, then in February we will get three seeds from one seed. To prepare the soil for soiling, 25 percent clay and 25 percent vermicompost and 50 percent normal soil should be used. I use manure made from neem in the soil. Cocopeat is not used in this. The use of cocopeat spoils the bulb of saffron.”

How did the saffron market get created?

Gaurav sold it in retail to create a market for saffron. Gaurav further tells that the price of Kashmiri saffron in the market is 290 to 300 rupees per gram but he sold it for 500 rupees per gram. This time the total production was half a kilo. He has done this selling through social media. Farmers will get profit in saffron farming after three years. Investment is covered less in the first three years.

Loan for saffron farming

Gaurav took advantage of the central government scheme Pradhan Mantri Mudra Loan Yojana to start saffron farming. Under this scheme, he got a loan of Rs 10 lakh for saffron farming. With this, he set up a setup for saffron farming using hydroponic technology.

Training for saffron farming to farmers

Along with saffron farming, Gaurav also gives training to farmers. Gaurav gives training to farmers inside his farm. Gaurav takes Rs 12 thousand from farmers for the training program. So far Gaurav has given training to about 21 farmers.