Description & Distribution 
Known as the 'golden spice', saffron is the costliest spice in the world. A native Asia Minor, saffron has been cultivated in southern Europe since ancient time.
The ancient Romans and Greeks used it to scent the air and saffron tea was a popular drink. Today saffron is produced in Spain, France, Greece, Nigeria, Italy, Germany and India. Indian saffron is considered superior to its foreign counterparts. Saffron is the slender, dried, reddish brown, flattened stigma of a perennial low growing plant with underground globular corm. The characteristic aromatic odor of saffron is obtained by drying the stigmas. The flowers, which are large, scented and blue or lavender, in color are harvested immediately on blossoming. Only the light stigmas are useful and as such a large number of flowers have to be placed in order to produce a small quantity of saffron. This accounts for its high cost. Propagation is by cormlets obtained from the fully-grown plant.

Saffron has a strong, pleasant aromatic odor and a peculiar exotic, bitter taste.

Cool dry climate and rich soil with excellent drainage and organic content provide the ideal environment for saffron cultivation

High quality saffron is produced on a large scale in the Jammu and Kashmir valley followed by Himachal Pradesh.

Uses
Saffron holds very special place for its extraordinary medicinal and flavoring properties. It si also used as a striking yellow dye. 
Intake of saffron is also believed to improve complexion. Many oils have saffron and camphor as additives. Saffron is used to control nausea, to remove headaches and to heal wounds in Ayurveda. It is also used in foodstuffs.

Export
Most of the production is consumed within the country itself.