Global warming forces Kashmir farmers to grow saffron indoors

Global warming is prompting saffron farmers in Kashmir to look for new ways to grow the flowers that yield the world's most expensive spice. © AFP - TAUSEEF MUSTAFA

Farmers in Kashmir are experimenting with new techniques for growing saffron as global warming stunts traditional production of the world's most expensive spice in the Himalayan foothills.

Research is in full swing in Indian-administered Kashmir for controlled cultivation of saffron, which costs up to €4,000 a kilogram and is nicknamed “red gold” because of its vivid colour.