With passion, hard work, dedication, and innovative ideas, the Sindhu brothers have transformed their 225 sq ft room into a successful saffron room in Hisar, Haryana. Additionally, under the Amaratva brand, they export their high-quality saffron to the US, Dubai, and UK.
Early Life & Background
Their journey began when Praveen was pursuing M Tech while Naveen was working in a hotel in the UK at the time. Despite this, both brothers read and researched indoor Kashmiri saffron farming.
Praveen was studying about indoor saffron farming in a newspaper. Intrigued by the concept, he was interested in trying it. Once he completed his MTech in 2016, both brothers set to work on it.
In the meantime, Praveen gained expertise in Thailand for the cultivation of Cordyceps (A type of mushroom popular for its medicinal properties).
In 2017, both visited Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir. They stayed there for 2 months to understand saffron cultivation process before starting it themselves. There Praveen and Naveen visited the local agriculture university and interacted with farmers to understand the process of cultivating saffron.
Beginning the Journey: Growing Saffron on the Roof
After gaining knowledge, in 2018, the duo transformed their house roof into a thriving garden for growing saffron using aeroponics (a method that allows plants to grow in air or mist without relying on traditional soil).
In a room of 15 by 15 ft, they set up different equipment to create an ideal growing environment:
- A chiller to maintain the temperature
- A humidifier to create moist environment
- Grow lights for providing adequate amount of sunlight indoors
- Wooden trays for putting saffron buds
For setting up their saffron farm they have invested Rs 6 lakh which excludes the cost of saffron seeds. They bought 100 kg of saffron seeds from Kashmir at Rs 3500 per kg.
Challenges
The first one was when the seeds ordered and sent through post office courier were destroyed by the time they reached Naveen and Praveen. They lost their investment in that.
However, to avoid any such scenario, they went to Pampore for getting seeds themselves.
Positive Outcomes & Revenue
Despite initial setbacks due to damaged seeds, they managed to harvest a few kg of saffron. This batch they used for research purposes and distributed them among friends and family.
By seeing the impressive results, next year Sindhu brothers bought 700 kg of seeds for Rs 15,000 per kg and planted them in their 225 sq ft room, which is capable of holding up to 1,000 kg of saffron bulbs in wooden trays.
In this batch of saffron they have achieved a yield of 500 gm of organic saffron, which they sold for Rs 2.5 lakh. After the successful production of saffron, they decided to continue farming, and since then, there has been no turning back for them.
How They Grow Indoor Saffron Successfully
To cultivate saffron successfully, the brothers plant the saffron bulbs at the beginning of August and harvest the flowers in November. This process requires the correct lighting, humidity, and temperature for success. It takes three months for the bulbs to be ready to harvest.
After separating the saffron strands from the flowers, the remaining petals are sold to cosmetic companies for Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 per kg. After the harvest, the bulbs are planted in the soil between November and February to multiply with one mother bulb to produce four to seven daughter bulbs.
Source of Income
In addition to selling their saffron in the domestic market, they also sell their saffron under the Amaratva brand and export to the US, UK, and other countries.
Since the saffron grows from August to November. For the remaining eight to nine months, they grow Cordyceps or button mushrooms to increase their annual earnings.
Buy your pack of Saffron @Amaratva
