The sight of saffron flowers usually brings to mind the valleys of Kashmir, but Gorakhpur is now emerging as an unlikely centre for saffron cultivation. Horticulture enthusiast Vinod Kumar Shukla, a resident of Rustampur near Azad Chowk, has successfully grown saffron inside a room of his home by creating a controlled, Kashmir-like environment.
Shukla, who also serves as the district Gau Seva Pramukh of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, was introduced to the idea by his daughter Neha, an MTech in Biotechnology, who informed him about the aeroponic method of growing saffron in artificially created conditions. Intrigued, Shukla travelled to Solan, Himachal Pradesh, where he received a week-long training. Later, he visited Kashmir and purchased 80 kg of corms at Rs 1,300 per kg.
Returning to Gorakhpur, he invested Rs 5 lakh to set up an aeroponic cultivation room measuring 9×16 feet. The setup includes a high-capacity chiller capable of forming ice, two humidity-control machines, and multi-coloured lights to mimic ideal growing conditions. Technical guidance was also provided by a Noida-based expert.
Shukla began cultivation in August, maintaining strict temperature and humidity levels. In the aeroponic system, plant roots are kept suspended in air and fed nutrients through mist. After a controlled four-month process, saffron flowers have now begun to appear. The corms are briefly soaked in lime-treated water, then dried, and placed in wooden trays filled with compost made from desi cow dung and coconut residue. The temperature is gradually reduced from 20 degrees Celsius to 14 degrees Celsius during the day and from 18 degrees Celsius to 12 degrees Celsius at night, while humidity increases from 90 per cent to 95 per cent.
From the 80 kg of corms, Shukla expects a yield of around 250 grams of saffron, along with double the number of new corms to expand future production. With Kashmiri saffron priced around Rs 5 lakh per kg, Shukla believes that cultivating “red gold” in Gorakhpur could become profitable within two years. A hotel operator in the city has already approached him for supply.
Shukla has written to the Union Agriculture Minister requesting support for saffron cultivation and has offered to provide free local training to interested individuals. He added that the cultivation process will continue to expand as new corms develop.