An Abbotsford farmer has become the first in B.C. – and one of a handful in Canada – to grow the flower that produces the world’s most expensive spice.
Avtar Dhillon has discovered that the Fraser Valley’s rainy climate and rich soil is ideal for growing saffron, a crop normally associated with arid regions.
The ancient spice – used in cooking, as a colouring agent and in pharmaceuticals – comes from the autumn-flowering perennial plant known as Crocus sativus (the “saffron crocus”).
Some 90 per cent of the world’s total comes from Iran, and it is also produced in places such as Spain, Greece, Italy, India and Afghanistan.
Dhillon says the spice is worth about $35,000 per kilogram, mainly due to the intensive manual labour required to harvest and cure the flowers.
He and his twin brother Jagtar have been operating the 25-acre Ramsar Berry Farm in east Abbotsford near the Chilliwack border since 2006.
But costs paid by processors for their blueberries have dropped over the years, and the pair began looking at other crops that could be grown during the off-season.
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Saffron was among the options that Dhillon researched, and he discovered that a farm in Montreal was having some success with the plants.
Dhillon purchased some bulbs from India – they cost $1.50 each – and began experimenting with different growing methods about five years ago.
This included in a greenhouse, with mushroom manure, and at...
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