Kashmiri women collect stigmas from Saffron flowers, at their residence
in Pampore, on the outskirts of Srinagar, October 27,2002. Saffron has
been grown in Kashmir since Mughal period, which began in the 16th
century. In highly drained clay-loam soil, the saffron crop is sown on
an estimated 17,000 hectares of land in Kashmir in the months of May
and June and the flower is harvested at the onset of autumn. It takes
some 170,000 flowers to get a kg (2.25lbs) of saffron, a precious
spice. REUTERS/Fayaz Kabli

FK/JS