🔦How did this couple grow saffron without soil and water?
a miracle!
Thursday is like the teaser trailer for Friday - so much promise, but not quite there yet.
But don’t worry, we’ve got plenty to keep you entertained until the weekend finally shows up.
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Now, onto the main event…
How a Nagpur couple is growing gold without soil?
What if we told you that saffron, the world’s most expensive spice, isn’t just growing in Kashmir anymore?
A couple from Nagpur, Akshay Holey, and Divya Lohakare Holey, have cracked the code to cultivate saffron without soil or traditional irrigation.
Yep, you read that right!
Using aeroponic farming, they’ve recreated Kashmir’s cool, dry conditions inside their apartment, and now, they’re raking in a whopping ₹50 lakh a year.
From an idea to a thriving business
Traditionally, saffron grows in Kashmir’s chilly winters and dry summers, but Akshay and Divya weren’t ones to accept limits.
Determined to figure out if saffron could thrive elsewhere, they spent over three months in Kashmir across two years, learning everything they could about its cultivation.
Their first experiment?
A tiny batch: just 1 kg of saffron seeds.
The result?
A few grams of saffron, but enough to prove they were onto something.
Encouraged, they went all in, investing in 350 kg of seeds. This time, they struck gold, producing around 1,600 grams of saffron.
Fast forward to today
Their saffron operation spans 480 square meters, including a 400-square-foot setup inside their Hingna apartment.
Instead of soil, their aeroponic system keeps the plants suspended in air, nourishing them with mist. This means no huge farmland, no excessive water usage, just smart, sustainable farming.
And they didn’t stop there.
To make their process even greener, they added solar power to the mix, cutting down on their carbon footprint.
Inspiring others
Their success hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Over the past two years, they’ve trained 150 aspiring farmers, 29 of whom have already set up their own saffron farms in Maharashtra.
They even conduct training sessions for ₹15,000 per participant, helping more people jump into aeroponic saffron farming.
And the best part?
Akshay says saffron farming is a long-term win.
The seeds require just a one-time investment but keep yielding returns for years.
From their initial investment of ₹55 lakh, they’ve already pulled in ₹1.3 crore. Not bad for a “what-if” experiment, right?
A glimpse into the future
This power couple is proving that farming isn’t just about fields and weather - it’s about innovation. By blending age-old knowledge with modern tech, they’ve made it clear that saffron doesn’t have to be exclusive to Kashmir.
Their journey is inspiring urban farmers everywhere. Who knows? Maybe one day, your city will be growing its own saffron, too. If Akshay and Divya can do it, why not you?
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See ya 👋
