From Assamese muga silk to jasmine oil used in luxury perfumes and from aromatic sandalwood to real saffron that costs over $10,000 per kilogram, we traveled the length of the subcontinent to uncover the stories behind some of the most expensive products made in India.
Our first stop is Amritsar, where a factory makes the only chess sets used in the World Chess Championship.
Our first stop is Amritsar, where a factory makes the only chess sets used in the World Chess Championship.
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00:00:00 From Assamese Muga silk to jasmine oil used in luxury perfumes.
00:00:05 And from aromatic sandalwood to real saffron that costs over $10,000 per kilogram.
00:00:15 We travelled the length of the subcontinent to uncover the stories behind some of the most expensive products made in India.
00:00:24 Our first stop is Amritsar, where a factory makes the only chess sets used in the World Chess Championship.
00:00:31 With every shaving and small incision, master artisans turn these trunks of wood into 32 hand-carved chess pieces.
00:00:43 You can pick up a plastic set for $20, but a wooden set certified for the World Chess Championship costs $500.
00:00:52 Much of the value of a high-quality set comes down to how well just one piece is made.
00:00:58 The knight.
00:01:00 There are less than 10 people who are trusted to carve the knights for the official World Chess Championship sets.
00:01:06 So how are these chessmen made?
00:01:09 And why are they so expensive?
00:01:16 At this factory in Amritsar, India, artisans carve the pieces for the official World Chess Championship sets.
00:01:23 And the factory produces only 250 of them each year.
00:01:27 Artisans train over four to five months, learning to masterfully shape each figure.
00:01:33 These small blocks of boxwood were once large trunks, dried for three to six months, cut down, and shaped to the necessary size.
00:01:44 Each block is attached to a lathe, which turns the block rapidly before artisans begin to carve.
00:01:50 Artisans use particular steel tools, called cutters, designed to make the proper cuts and overall shape of a chessman.
00:02:00 Once the cutter makes contact, it immediately changes the wood.
00:02:05 And any slight misstep could ruin the final shape of the piece.
00:02:10 No piece is more difficult to produce than the knight.
00:02:14 While other pieces are carved in just a few minutes, a single knight takes two hours to produce.
00:02:21 Less than 10 people are trained to craft knights for these championship sets.
00:02:30 It's been 10 years since I started.
00:02:32 It's been five or six years since I started learning to work with a big machine.
00:02:36 It took me a while to learn.
00:02:38 Compare that to the four to five months it takes an artisan to learn how to carve the other chess pieces.
00:02:46 But unlike these other chessmen, the knight isn't an abstract representation of a medieval figure.
00:02:53 It's designed to look like a realistic horse head.
00:02:58 It's the most detailed of all the pieces.
00:03:00 Each carving is intentional, from the hair on a knight's tail to the curve of its neck.
00:03:07 The quality of the final piece largely depends on the skill of the artisan.
00:03:23 A top-quality knight must be completely symmetrical.
00:03:28 The paper and the rake are perfectly aligned.
00:03:30 The ears and the nose are perfectly aligned.
00:03:32 Everything is perfectly aligned.
00:03:34 Everything is perfectly aligned.
00:03:40 But it's just as important that all four knights in the set look totally uniform.
00:03:46 Otherwise, the set altogether won't be nearly as valuable.
00:03:50 According to the House of Stoughton, a large manufacturer of chess sets,
00:03:55 a set of finely carved knights can represent up to 50% of the total cost of the chessmen.
00:04:01 The other chessmen have specific height and width requirements, designed by architect Daniel Whale.
00:04:08 The king must be the tallest, at 95 millimeters, and have a base that's 39 millimeters wide, the largest of them all.
00:04:16 The pieces have defining characteristics, like the king's crown or the refined jewel at the top of the queen's coronet.
00:04:24 These distinct features require more time and effort for the carver.
00:04:29 The king's crown in a championship set should have eight small cuts and be slightly rounded along the edges.
00:04:36 Compare this king to the king of a regular set, which has a much simpler, straight-edge design.
00:04:42 Pieces with even simpler designs than that, like a rook, take these artisans seven times longer to produce compared to regular chess sets.
00:04:52 If the chessmen is like of a championship set, then we are only able to make 25 to 30 kings in a day, because it's a very special design.
00:05:00 If we are talking about making chessmen for tournament players, which are used in vast quantities,
00:05:06 then a carver is even able to make 200 to 250 chess kings in a day.
00:05:11 But the design of these chess pieces isn't solely aesthetic.
00:05:15 It can actually affect the outcome of a game.
00:05:19 Each piece must be the correct height, the king being the tallest, followed by the queen, bishop, knight, rook, and pawn.
00:05:26 The detailed features are also essential, by lowering the chances a player will make a mistake.
00:05:33 If you see in medieval ages, the chessmen were not really in a good form.
00:05:39 The chessmen were round, some of them were spiral, the knights were not even carved in the shape of a knight.
00:05:47 In this form, you can see the kings properly, the knight very distinguished, the bishop has a miter cut, the queen is very sharp.
00:05:55 So you can easily distinguish between all the six pieces.
00:05:58 This is known as the Stauten design, the only style allowed in international competition today.
00:06:05 Pieces used in the championship match have an electronic coil, making it possible to track and broadcast each player's move.
00:06:14 A full set with this tracking component costs about $700 more.
00:06:18 The weight of each piece, along with the felt bottom, are two more significant factors that affect the game.
00:06:25 Both make the chessmen easier to use, effectively upping their value.
00:06:30 If the pieces are properly weighted, then they do not fall while you are moving the pieces on the boards.
00:06:36 And also it gives a very nice and special feel to a chessman.
00:06:43 Some chessmen must be dyed black and dried for 10 days.
00:06:47 All of the pieces are buffed and polished three times before they're assessed for quality.
00:06:53 Chess has been played for over 1,000 years, with some form of the game first appearing in India around the 6th century.
00:07:03 Over the past two centuries, high-level competitions have drawn international interest in the game.
00:07:11 Today, tournaments continue to keep the game popular, as do displays of these competitions in the media.
00:07:17 The release of the limited series "The Queen's Gambit" on Netflix sent sales of chess sets skyrocketing in November 2020.
00:07:25 And although this demand is a positive for the industry, it also poses a challenge to chess producers like Aditya.
00:07:33 It is very difficult to find good quality skilled carvers for manufacturing chessmen.
00:07:39 After four to five months, six months, we don't know if the carver would be good enough to carve a nice chessman.
00:07:45 So nobody wants to spend so much time and realize that he was not able to carve the desired quality of chessmen.
00:07:52 Without enough experienced carvers, these sets could become more difficult to produce.
00:07:59 And it's fair to expect that $500 sets like these, and similarly hand-carved ones, could get even pricier in the future.
00:08:09 This is one of the most expensive woods in the world.
00:08:13 But it's really one portion of a sandalwood log that makes it so valuable.
00:08:18 To get to it, these men tirelessly chop away the lighter, outer layer of sapwood.
00:08:23 Until they're left with this.
00:08:25 The dark inner core that makes a kilogram of Indian sandalwood costs $200 today.
00:08:30 This is where sandalwood's unique fragrance comes from.
00:08:34 And when it's distilled, it's used in all kinds of products, from bath soaps to luxury brand perfumes.
00:08:40 So what makes sandalwood's aroma so special?
00:08:44 And is that why the wood is so expensive?
00:08:47 Native to South India, centellum album, or Indian sandalwood, was used for hundreds of years before becoming a go-to scent for expensive perfumes.
00:09:01 It's also been used for wood carvings and medicine, and it's even considered a sacred tree in several religions.
00:09:08 Once distilled, sandalwood's sweet, woodsy aroma retains its scent for decades.
00:09:14 This is the crude oil portion.
00:09:19 This we take separately and it is weighed and it is handed over to the stores department.
00:09:26 After harvesting, the forestry department sells sandalwood at auction to factories like this one in Mysore.
00:09:32 This is a Jejpokal class of sandalwood we have received from Marayur in Kerala.
00:09:39 This we are going to process next week.
00:09:42 Hollow heartwood logs are classified as Jejpokal, one of the 18 classes of Indian sandalwood.
00:09:48 Factories can purchase pure heartwood like Jejpokal or raw sandalwood logs.
00:09:54 But if they buy the raw wood, they'll need to break down each log themselves.
00:09:58 Although a machine helps split sandalwood into more manageable pieces, stripping the logs down to their heartwood core requires the effort of several employees.
00:10:08 It is a totally manual process and a very skilled process.
00:10:13 In a physically demanding process, these men chop each log to remove the sapwood, the non-fragrant portion of sandalwood.
00:10:22 You can see the brown portion. This is heartwood. The outer portion is called sapwood and the exterior portion is bark.
00:10:31 Pure heartwood is the most valuable class of sandalwood.
00:10:35 In some trees, pure heartwood is easier to extract because it forms in one circle at the center.
00:10:41 In other trees, the heartwood mixes together with sapwood, which impacts the final value of the oil.
00:10:49 This brown portion is heartwood and this white portion is sapwood.
00:10:53 So it is a mix of both heartwood and sapwood. That's why it is called mixed wood.
00:10:58 So it is a little bit inferior quality as regards to sandalwood oil contents.
00:11:05 After employees have gathered all they can, a machine breaks down the strips of wood into chips.
00:11:11 Employees do a sift through these chips to grab any leftover pieces of usable heartwood.
00:11:18 Then a separate machine turns those chips into powder.
00:11:21 Now, distillation can begin.
00:11:25 The process is long and it starts with injecting steam into distillation stills.
00:11:31 After the oil is extracted, all that's left are these giant mounds of powder.
00:11:36 But even with most of the oil gone, some of the scent still lingers.
00:11:42 Rather than going to waste, it's used to make incense sticks and dhoop, a common form of incense in India used during religious rituals.
00:11:50 During the final stages, workers separate the oil from water and purify it until they're left with a totally clean tank of sandalwood oil.
00:11:59 It takes Mahadeva's team about a week to distill one mectre ton of oil.
00:12:04 Tanks of the purified oil are sent to a lab in Bengaluru.
00:12:09 Here, researchers test each batch for quality.
00:12:12 They smell samples of the oil to confirm the aroma is consistent across batches.
00:12:17 Sandalwood's unique and long-lasting scent makes it compatible with a wide range of other fragrances, which is why it's an ideal base for a perfume.
00:12:27 Sandalwood oil is a woody compound. It is a base compound.
00:12:30 It longs around more than 24 hours. It is not like that orange oil or jasmine like.
00:12:38 After the oil is tested, it heads to another factory where it will be used to make soap for Karnataka Soap and Detergents Limited, or KSDL.
00:12:48 This is the final finished oil. It's the colour of the oil, the finished product, the perfume, what we are using for Mysore Sandal soap fragrance.
00:12:56 KSDL is one of the biggest producers of sandalwood oil products globally.
00:13:01 Although its primary focus is soap, the company sells bottles of just sandalwood oil too.
00:13:06 One 10-gram bottle of sandalwood oil costs 5,500 rupees, or about $74.
00:13:13 It is very expensive. Common people like me and you cannot afford to pay 3,000 rupees for 5 grams of sandalwood oil.
00:13:22 In every auction, there used to be an increase in the price of sandalwood.
00:13:29 Maybe by 10%, 20% increase compared to previous prices.
00:13:36 So when the sandalwood price increases, definitely oil prices will also be increased.
00:13:43 Compared to 2017, a kilogram of Indian sandalwood oil can cost double today.
00:13:51 And demand isn't slowing down, with the market expected to reach over $165 million by 2027.
00:14:00 Of the nearly 10 sandalwood species, Indian sandalwood and Australian sandalwood have the largest commercial value.
00:14:06 The difference is, the Indian species has higher levels of alpha and beta-santalol, the components in sandalwood responsible for its lasting scent and believed health benefits.
00:14:16 India used to dominate the market for sandalwood oil and oil-based products.
00:14:20 But in recent years, Australia, which grows both the Indian and Australian sandalwood species, has gained significant ground in the market.
00:14:29 Although this might look like a lot of sandalwood, India is actually facing a supply shortage.
00:14:34 In fact, the supply is so limited that this sandalwood distillery only operated for about four months in 2021.
00:14:42 And up until 2002, it was illegal for private growers to plant sandalwood trees in the southern states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
00:14:53 With only a small amount of government-sanctioned replanting alongside the over-harvesting, India's supply has suffered.
00:14:59 And since 2018, the species has been considered vulnerable, one level above endangered.
00:15:05 Another factor that limits supply and increases the price is inherent to the way the tree grows.
00:15:11 Older trees tend to yield more oil, which makes them preferable for oil production.
00:15:16 Growers will typically wait around 20 years for a tree to mature.
00:15:21 This waiting period doesn't only limit the quantity of sandalwood, it also puts the trees at risk.
00:15:26 It's not the seasonal crop. It is a long-lasting crop. It needs very patience to grow.
00:15:34 And you need to protect it until its maturity. That is the one issue you have to bear in mind.
00:15:42 Today, every tree has to be registered with the government and can't be harvested or transported without permission.
00:15:50 But even these strict regulations aren't enough to prevent theft.
00:15:53 According to Hinduism Today, roughly 2,000 tons of smuggled sandalwood passed through the black market in 2018.
00:16:01 To successfully grow the trees for decades, farmers must pay the cost to protect them.
00:16:07 Here in the city of Mysore, some trees are wrapped in barbed wire.
00:16:11 On top of this threat, harvesting these trees isn't simple.
00:16:17 If a farmer has approval, a government official must come in person to uproot the entire tree.
00:16:22 None of the tree should be wasted, particularly heartwood in the trunk and roots, since it holds the highest oil content.
00:16:29 In the end, the tree's total oil output isn't much.
00:16:33 You may get around 60 grams of sandalwood out of 1 kg of root portion sandalwood.
00:16:40 In case of stem, you may get around 40 grams to 50 grams. In branches, about 30 grams to 40 grams.
00:16:48 To replenish some of its trees, the Karnataka state government created the Grow More Sandalwood program.
00:16:55 Around 360 farmers are enrolled in our Grow More Sandal project.
00:17:00 And we're encouraging farmers to grow more and more sandalwood.
00:17:04 And after a minimum of 14 years of age, we can buy back.
00:17:09 But growing trees comes with the cost of protecting them for decades at a time, something that likely will still deter farmers.
00:17:16 There are also the permissions growers need from the government, which slow down the process.
00:17:21 It's uncertain if programs like this can return India to its old production levels.
00:17:26 But at a minimum, the effort might help restore some of the country's lost sandalwood supply.
00:17:33 Once popped, waterlily seeds, also known as fox nuts, look just like popcorn.
00:17:39 But a bag of seeds will cost you 15 times more, over $170 per kilogram.
00:17:46 That's because to achieve that pop,
00:17:49 farmers in India work tirelessly for over four days, wading through water up to four feet deep,
00:17:58 kneeling in the scorching sun and roasting the seeds in a carefully managed series of heated woks.
00:18:04 Even when everything is done just right, there's no guarantee that the seed will actually pop.
00:18:10 So are waterlily seeds worth it? And why are they so expensive?
00:18:15 Makhana, as they're known locally, are the seeds of the prickly waterlily plant.
00:18:26 Once they're popped, they are known as fox nuts.
00:18:29 They're a popular snack in Bihar, India, the origin of 80% of the world's supply.
00:18:36 The best quality makhana is sweet.
00:18:42 The low quality makhana is salty.
00:18:47 It's like salt.
00:18:50 The colour changes.
00:18:52 The white part is slightly brown.
00:19:05 On the surface, waterlily plants look like lotus, gigantic leaves floating on the water.
00:19:11 But the differences reveal themselves upon a closer look.
00:19:16 Each plant is covered in thorns.
00:19:20 These barbs pose the main danger to workers harvesting the seeds.
00:19:26 We have a problem.
00:19:28 Sometimes we have problems.
00:19:31 Sometimes the thorns come off.
00:19:34 What will the poor people do?
00:19:37 If they don't earn, where will they eat?
00:19:39 Lakshmi has been harvesting waterlily seeds for 35 years.
00:19:44 He belongs to the Malla community, which has farmed and processed fox nuts for generations.
00:19:51 We pick the seeds from here.
00:19:55 One, two, three, four, five, six.
00:19:58 We cut them all.
00:20:01 One, two, three, four, five.
00:20:05 There are five fruits in this.
00:20:08 I've pricked my hand.
00:20:11 Harvesting is hard work.
00:20:14 The seeds are at the bottom of the pond, and the water is not clear enough to see and avoid the thorns.
00:20:20 So Lakshmi uses a stick to move the plants aside.
00:20:24 Each plant can yield anywhere from 70 to 125 seeds.
00:20:29 They need heavy rains in the spring to start bearing fruits, which contain seeds.
00:20:34 When summer comes, the fruits start to rot and release the seeds.
00:20:40 When the seeds are ripe, they float on the water.
00:20:44 When they rot in the sun, they go to the ground and get caught in the soil.
00:20:51 They stay there for a month, in contact with the soil, and then the seeds are ready to be removed.
00:21:01 But not all seeds are fit for harvesting.
00:21:06 Some are deformed or unripe, and Lakshmi can't harvest them today.
00:21:10 This is not ready for harvesting. It will rot, turn black and rot.
00:21:16 It will sit on the ground.
00:21:19 At the same time, ripe seeds can't stay too long in the pond.
00:21:24 Otherwise, they won't pop and will sell for less.
00:21:29 Workers feel the seeds with their hands coming to the surface and direct them towards a special type of basket called a gaja,
00:21:36 which they use to clean the seeds and separate them from the mud.
00:21:53 Despite their best efforts, collecting all the seeds in the pond is impossible.
00:21:58 Waterlily seeds are small and dense, meaning some seeds will sink to the bottom of the pond, where farmers can easily overlook them.
00:22:05 Lakshmi and the other four workers start their day at 6am and end at 4pm.
00:22:11 In this time frame, they harvest an average of 100kg of seeds per day.
00:22:19 There is no rule. Sometimes there are two controls.
00:22:23 Sometimes there are no controls.
00:22:26 If there are too many crops, we take out two controls.
00:22:32 Now there are fewer crops.
00:22:35 Now the crop is thin.
00:22:38 A successful harvest has a lot to do with the weather.
00:22:44 This has a direct impact on the size of the waterlily flower and in turn, the quality of its fruit and seeds.
00:22:50 This is a plant.
00:22:52 The plant has a red colour.
00:22:55 When we plant a lotus flower, it is a sign of weakness.
00:23:00 It is because of the heat.
00:23:03 The heat causes the lotus flower to bloom.
00:23:08 The lotus flower should bloom as much as the lotus flower.
00:23:12 The lotus flower should bloom as much as the lotus flower.
00:23:17 Waterlily seeds are harvested in two waves each season.
00:23:21 The second harvest is even harder because there are fewer seeds in the pond
00:23:25 and workers have to search for the seeds that have been left behind in the mud.
00:23:29 While the first time around a pond can yield up to 150kg of seeds,
00:23:35 there could only be around 10kg during the second harvest.
00:23:39 Once out of the water, workers stomp on the freshly collected seeds to remove the outer skin.
00:23:47 Then they place the seeds back into the basket and take them back to the water to clean.
00:23:52 All of today's harvest is then weighed.
00:23:56 This moment will determine how much Lakshmi and the other four workers are paid.
00:24:01 They usually receive 31 cents per kilogram in the first harvest
00:24:06 and 62 cents per kilogram in the second as the work is much harder.
00:24:11 Today is the first harvest.
00:24:15 They collected 50kg of seeds.
00:24:39 When the seeds are freshly harvested, they are worth 22 times less than popped seeds.
00:24:45 To successfully pop a seed, it can take up to four days of work.
00:24:55 At the processing facility, workers clean the seeds once more.
00:25:01 The next step is to sun-dry the seeds to remove all of their water content.
00:25:05 The amount and quality of sunlight the seeds receive is crucial in determining the quality of the harvest.
00:25:19 The seeds are then dried in the sun.
00:25:22 The sun-dried seeds are then placed in a container and dried in the sun for a week.
00:25:28 The amount and quality of sunlight the seeds receive is crucial in determining whether they will pop or not.
00:25:33 After two hours, the seeds are sorted and graded by size.
00:25:57 The big seeds need more time under the sun, while smaller seeds will rot if exposed to too much sun.
00:26:02 To know when the small seeds are ready to be taken out, workers can either bite into them or roast them.
00:26:16 The seeds are tested by a star.
00:26:18 They are pressed down to ensure that the seeds are not scattered.
00:26:23 They should be stuck together.
00:26:26 That is the main technique.
00:26:41 When the big seeds are dry, the whole batch is ready to undergo a gentle roasting in a clay wok.
00:26:47 The seeds are still very fragile and can't withstand very hot temperatures.
00:26:53 This is the first real test to determine whether the seeds have a chance to pop.
00:27:07 The artist sits in front of the wok and decides when the seeds will pop.
00:27:12 When the seeds pop, he takes them out and puts them in a bag.
00:27:16 Roasting is a 20-hour process.
00:27:20 After the first roast, the seeds need to rest overnight for 15 hours.
00:27:25 The next day, they're ready to be popped.
00:27:32 It takes 10 people to roast 100 kilograms of waterlily seeds.
00:27:36 Out of these 100 kilograms, only 35 kilograms will pop and become good quality fox nuts.
00:27:42 For this second roast, the woks are made of iron.
00:27:46 The seeds are strong enough to retain heat, and that's what they'll need to pop.
00:27:51 The seeds roast in a series of six different woks, so they can be carefully heated up.
00:27:58 Once the seeds are ready, we take them out and put them in a bag.
00:28:01 If we roast them all at once, it will take three days to roast one batch.
00:28:06 But this one takes one day.
00:28:08 When a seed is ready to pop, it will make a crackling noise, which is almost imperceptible.
00:28:14 Only the person sitting in front of the wok knows.
00:28:21 Because he keeps checking every second.
00:28:27 [Sounds of a worker popping seeds]
00:28:29 To pop the seeds, workers use a paddle called a thapi.
00:28:48 But even with the right technique, some seeds will just not pop.
00:28:54 [Sounds of a worker popping seeds]
00:28:56 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:28:58 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:29:01 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:29:04 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:29:30 Once the seeds have been popped, they are cleaned and processed by size again in this machine.
00:29:34 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:29:43 Rajesh's company processes about 30 metric tonnes of waterlily seeds per season.
00:29:56 Out of them, only 40% successfully pop and turn into good quality fox nuts.
00:30:01 These popped seeds are now worth up to 550 rupees per kilogram.
00:30:06 They'll reach 900 rupees or $11.16 per kilogram in bigger cities like Delhi.
00:30:13 And up to $170 per kilogram abroad, where they're quickly gaining popularity.
00:30:23 The seeds are rich in fibre, protein and antioxidants.
00:30:27 Rajesh exports 40% of the seeds he processes, mostly to the US.
00:30:32 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:30:35 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:30:38 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:30:40 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:30:42 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:30:45 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:30:47 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:30:49 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:30:52 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:30:54 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:30:56 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:31:24 This new market has created new farming opportunities in Bihar.
00:31:27 The last few years have seen an increase in rainfall,
00:31:30 which has made it harder to grow crops like rice and corn.
00:31:34 As a result, some farmers have converted newly flooded areas into sowing areas for waterlily plants.
00:31:41 The local government launched a scheme to repurpose 104,000 hectares of abandoned lowland for fox nut cultivation.
00:31:51 Today, 60% of waterlily seed farming takes place in flooded lowlands,
00:31:55 as opposed to the ponds and wetlands where the practice originated.
00:31:59 And as the habitat of the waterlily plant changes, so does the flavour of their popped fox nuts.
00:32:05 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:32:10 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:32:12 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:32:14 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:32:16 [Speaking in a foreign language]
00:32:45 To make muga silk, labourers must unwind a muga caterpillar's cocoon into a single long seamless thread.
00:32:52 And to make just one sari, about 1,000 cocoons need to be unravelled.
00:32:57 A sari made of muga silk can cost up to $6,500, thousands more than other saris.
00:33:05 But the caterpillars needed to make the cocoons, also called muga seeds, might be in danger of disappearing.
00:33:14 And without them, farmers can't produce muga silk at all.
00:33:17 So why is muga silk so expensive? And what's hurting the caterpillars needed to make it?
00:33:23 [Singing in a foreign language]
00:33:28 Muga can only be made in the Assam region of India.
00:33:35 It's so central to the culture here that there's even a traditional song about the golden thread.
00:33:42 [Singing in a foreign language]
00:33:44 Muga silk is unique because of its naturally lustrous gold colour.
00:33:48 It can last up to 100 years, and it's said to offer protection by absorbing 85% of harmful UV rays.
00:33:55 But these properties also make it more expensive.
00:33:59 And the labour and expenses required to make muga silk bump the price even further.
00:34:04 Farmers have to collect the seed cocoons at a very high price from different parts of the north of Assam.
00:34:10 [Music]
00:34:37 They pick a male and female moth to mate, and tie the female to the kaurika, a stick with a hook made of thatch grass or twine.
00:34:44 This is where the female will lay its eggs.
00:34:47 Rearers then transfer the kaurika to a Sam tree, the host plant for muga worms.
00:34:53 Here, tiny ash-coloured larvae known as chai muga hatch and begin to feed on the leaves.
00:35:01 But the larvae are vulnerable at this stage, so farmers need to keep a watchful eye to ensure they can form the cocoons needed to make muga silk.
00:35:09 They shoo clay pellets into the fields to keep potential predators at bay and protect the larvae.
00:35:17 After one or two months, they can collect the mature caterpillars.
00:35:26 The mature caterpillars are collected by the farmers at night and they put the mature caterpillars into some jellies for cocooning.
00:35:36 Here, the caterpillars rest and weave their cocoons for three days, until they fully empty the silk glands and enter pupation.
00:35:46 Not all cocoons are used for silk.
00:35:50 Some are stored in the sakori pera, a bamboo box for keeping cocoons and moths so farmers can continue breeding muga worms.
00:35:57 The hatched cocoons are used for rougher fabrics, such as winter clothes and blankets.
00:36:03 But the most expensive muga fabrics come from unhatched cocoons.
00:36:09 That's because the silk in these cocoons isn't torn and can be unraveled into a continuous thread.
00:36:17 Besides being limited in which cocoons they can use, weavers also need a lot of them.
00:36:23 For weavers who buy cocoons, this doesn't come cheap.
00:36:42 To produce one kilogram of muga yarn, Monika needs 5,000 cocoons, which is enough for about five saris.
00:36:50 And that one kilogram could take her a week, because to make the yarn, she needs to reel the golden thread, a process that demands special care.
00:36:59 Traditionally, the asamis add dried banana peel or paddy thatch ash to the mixture, which de-gums the cocoon and gives the thread a better sheen.
00:37:09 And when it comes to muga, the shinier the silk, the more valuable it will be.
00:37:13 Two people then use a pangoi to carefully reel the long muga silk threads in a continuous motion.
00:37:21 Reelers gently pull from several cocoons and join the thin strings together to make one thicker thread.
00:37:29 They must make sure each thread has a consistent thickness, or the yarn won't be as valuable.
00:37:37 Finally, the reelers load the muga silk yarn onto bamboo looms, where asamis women weave it into the desired fabric.
00:37:44 Some of the most intricate saris made from regular silk can cost $250 in India, but the same design on a muga silk fabric can kick the price up into the thousands.
00:38:04 Muga silk is the pride of Assam, which accounts for almost all of India's muga silk production. But the profits are limited.
00:38:13 The muga silk is the best. And the other products we make are not worth the money we make.
00:38:20 If we make $5,000 out of 1000 muga, we can make $3,000 out of our own.
00:38:27 And we can make $2,000 out of our own.
00:38:30 This is how much we can make for our muga farmers.
00:38:38 While muga farmers work tirelessly to ensure the moths survive, it's not only up to them.
00:38:43 The muga moth is continuously threatened by the climate crisis.
00:38:47 Muga silkworms are reared outdoors, and exposure to even the slightest change in temperature and humidity can wreak havoc.
00:38:56 During high temperatures in 2018, farmers had to delay rearing for 10 to 15 days to avoid silkworm deaths.
00:39:06 Losing this time during peak commercial season, when production is ramping up, means producers can end up with less muga silk to sell.
00:39:13 This is one of the major threats to the muga in the coming decades.
00:39:17 And second is the pollution. And pollution generated by the tea gardens and petrochemicals.
00:39:24 Tea gardens use some very destructive chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, etc.
00:39:33 These chemicals have toxic effects on the muga moth that impact its mortality and ability to reproduce.
00:39:39 This can threaten the relatively low production of muga silk compared to other expensive Indian-made silks like mulberry silk.
00:39:48 Only about 239 metric tons of muga silk were produced in India in 2021.
00:39:54 Compare that to over 24,000 metric tons of mulberry silk that were produced in the same year.
00:40:01 According to Jatol, this doesn't meet global demand for muga, and it drives the price even higher.
00:40:06 The limited supply of authentic muga silk has led some producers to fill the gap with fakes.
00:40:13 To combat the rise of fake muga, in 2007, the Indian government designated Assam Muga Silk as a Protected Geographical Indication, or GI product.
00:40:25 That means authentic muga silk can only come from Assam. But Jatol doesn't believe it's done much to help Assam's muga silk production.
00:40:33 Because in my calculation, muga silkworm is in the extinction deep.
00:40:40 All the habitat area, muga silkworm, the hospital sector, will be lost, totally lost, in 2046.
00:40:52 That's why Jatol and other muga farmers are relying on environmental conservation efforts, now and in the future, to ensure the survival of this millennia-old fabric.
00:41:02 Right now, these jasmine buds don't smell like anything.
00:41:08 But once they bloom, producers in India process their coveted aroma into one of the priciest oils in the world.
00:41:15 Just one kilogram of jasmine oil can cost over $5,000.
00:41:21 It's a key ingredient in luxury perfumes.
00:41:25 But to get one kilogram of some jasmine oil, these women need to pluck over 5,000 buds.
00:41:32 So what does jasmine smell like? And why is the oil so expensive?
00:41:39 For hundreds of years, jasmine has been used in India to make garlands and headpieces for special occasions.
00:41:50 Its scent is sweet, fruity, and floral, blending well with other fragrances.
00:41:56 And while India grows over 80 varieties of jasmine, jasmine grandiflorum and sambak are two of the most commercially valuable.
00:42:05 It's been considered very divine. And sambak, especially even amongst other flowers, is considered one notch superior. It's the most preferred flower.
00:42:17 Jasmine sambak has this ease, this friendliness, this happiness. It is a joyful scent.
00:42:25 Jasmine sambak thrives in Madurai, the jasmine capital of India.
00:42:31 Like any flower, jasmine produces a strong scent only after it blooms.
00:42:37 But local sellers don't want jasmine flowers. They want the buds.
00:42:43 That's because once the flower blooms, the scent only lasts a few days.
00:42:48 The buds last longer, so they're easier to transport, whether it be for garlands or oil extraction.
00:42:55 Raja runs a jasmine oil company. But before Raja can produce the oil, he'll need to wait for the day's harvest.
00:43:04 Jasmine is a night-blooming flower.
00:43:10 To maximize the harvest and ensure the buds make it to the markets in time, harvesters head to the fields early.
00:43:17 Rati is one of a handful of women tasked with plucking the buds.
00:43:23 It's not as simple as grabbing each bud she sees.
00:43:28 Only the right bud blooms that day. Otherwise, it's not going to bloom. So if it doesn't bloom, no fragrance.
00:43:37 Deciphering which buds to harvest requires a keen eye, one that Rati has trained over the last 10 years in these fields.
00:44:00 Rati goes to each bush one by one, plucking thousands of buds before she collects a kilogram of jasmine.
00:44:07 Gathering that much takes her about an hour.
00:44:11 The work must be done gently by hand, so as not to damage the buds.
00:44:17 Damaged or wilted buds mean more work for Rati.
00:44:22 Jasmine is a very laborious picking process.
00:44:28 A kilo of jasmine, just to give you a perspective, will have about 5,000 to 6,000 independent flowers.
00:44:34 So to pick one kilo, they have to move 5,000 times. The hand moves back and forth 5,000 times to pick just one kilo of flowers.
00:44:42 But that's still a tiny fraction of the buds needed to produce a kilogram of oil.
00:44:48 For one kilogram of jasmine oil, Rati needs one metric ton, or 1,000 kilograms of flowers.
00:44:56 As she works, Rati collects the buds in her sari to protect them and preserve their fragrance.
00:45:02 She'll harvest for about five hours straight.
00:45:24 It's tedious and tiring, but it's critical for her to keep moving before it gets too hot.
00:45:30 Then the buds head to the local market.
00:45:47 Morugan is used to the market's chaotic energy. He's been sourcing jasmine for oil production for 18 years.
00:45:54 Practically all corners of the market are full of buyers, bags of jasmine buds, and scales to determine the proper quantity for sale.
00:46:04 The rate today is 500 rupees per kilogram.
00:46:08 Before buying, he assesses the buds closely to determine if the size will be worth the price.
00:46:15 This is a small size. It's powdery. It won't have a strong fragrance if it's opened.
00:46:20 We don't use it for scenting. This is the best quality.
00:46:25 It will be good when it's opened.
00:46:28 When the sun has set, Raja's employees begin unloading bags full of jasmine buds back at the factory.
00:46:42 The first step is to spread them out with rakes, and then again with their hands and feet.
00:46:47 Spreading out the buds is crucial to preserving them.
00:46:52 Leaving them in a big pile would generate heat, which would again cause them to wilt.
00:46:57 Then Raja's team waits until the flowers begin to bloom.
00:47:04 The minute it starts blooming, it starts emitting the fragrance.
00:47:09 And then after some time, you can see it emits a bad fragrance.
00:47:12 So you know there's a constant chemical reaction that's happening in the flower.
00:47:16 For us, it's so important to capture the fragrance at the right moment, which is soon after it blooms.
00:47:21 Which is the best in terms of yield and the spec.
00:47:25 Like several other white flowers, jasmine is rich in indole.
00:47:30 Ironically, indole is found in feces, too.
00:47:35 In the case of feces, there's too much indole, so it produces an unpleasant smell.
00:47:40 But in limited amounts, it creates an appealing aroma, as it does with jasmine.
00:47:46 When the jasmine has bloomed, Raja's team loads the flowers into four 5,000-liter extractors.
00:47:54 The flowers then soak in a solvent.
00:47:57 Once the solvent absorbs the smell of the flowers, they remove all of the liquid.
00:48:03 They're left with this waxy, hard substance called concrete.
00:48:06 It's what Raja uses to finally extract the oil.
00:48:10 You add alcohol into the concretes, and then the concrete is separated off the waxes.
00:48:16 It's filtered, and then we get the absinthe.
00:48:19 Jasmine sambak is the most coveted of all jasmine flowers, hence the high price.
00:48:25 At its peak, jasmine sambak flowers can cost 10 times more than other types of jasmine.
00:48:32 And when it comes to the final price of the oil, the majority of it depends on the cost of the flower itself.
00:48:38 About 60 percent of the bulk of the cost is attributed to the flower cost itself.
00:48:43 So it varies depending on the price of the flowers every year.
00:48:46 The cost of one kilo of concrete is around $2,750 to $3,000.
00:48:50 And the absolute is almost a double, like $5,500 plus per kilo of absolute.
00:48:56 But jasmine sambak oil wasn't always this valuable.
00:49:01 In fact, Raja says it was rarely harvested before the launch of Dior's J'adore fragrance.
00:49:07 That was when the sambak became the in thing.
00:49:10 Before that, sambak was grown in India, but it was not really extracted.
00:49:14 Today, jasmine oil extracts travel from India all the way to Paris,
00:49:19 where they will be used in many high-end fragrances, particularly at Guerlain.
00:49:24 Guerlain sources jasmine sambak oil directly from Raja.
00:49:29 The signature of the house is made with jasmine and five other ingredients.
00:49:34 So jasmine is almost everywhere.
00:49:36 The company produces all of its fragrance blends in-house, including Mont Guerlain.
00:49:42 Jasmine sambak is the star of Mont Guerlain.
00:49:47 You have the top note of lavender, blend then in the jasmine sambak florals, you enjoy.
00:49:54 Then comes the sandalwood and the vanilla.
00:49:58 This is such a soft and beautiful fragrance.
00:50:02 Even in the expensive world of spices, saffron stands out.
00:50:08 And real saffron can cost you over $10,000 per kilogram.
00:50:12 Sought after for thousands of years as a spice, a dye, and a medicine,
00:50:18 you need over 150 flowers to make just one gram of saffron.
00:50:22 And the stuff you have at home in the cupboard could well be fake.
00:50:27 So just what makes this spice so expensive?
00:50:30 Saffron is the red stigma of the Crocus sativus.
00:50:39 Each Crocus has three small stigmas that have to be picked carefully by hand.
00:50:44 This minuscule harvest means that the amount you get from each flower is roughly 0.006 grams.
00:50:51 No machine can do the delicate work required to harvest these thin threads.
00:50:56 And it can take 40 hours of hard manual labour to produce just one kilogram of high-quality saffron.
00:51:02 Growing the plants isn't exactly easy either.
00:51:06 They're actually called 'corms', but they're like a bulb, basically, like a flower bulb.
00:51:12 So the more flowers per bulb you can get, the bigger the flowers really,
00:51:16 and that all depends on how you look after it, how you grow it, the climate.
00:51:22 So, for example, if it rains just before harvest, we get bigger flowers.
00:51:26 If it's very dry just before harvest, the flowers are smaller.
00:51:29 So you look after the crop during the year by hand, and you pick the flowers by hand, and you process the flowers by hand.
00:51:35 Once the crop starts flowering, harvesters have to work fast to make sure they can pick it all in time.
00:51:42 Almost all of the saffron planted can flower within one week of the year.
00:51:46 And to maintain the quality, the flowers are best picked first thing in the morning.
00:51:50 Quality is key when growing such a precise crop, and the taste of the saffron depends on the rainfall, temperature and soil.
00:51:57 Kashmir is famed for producing some of the highest quality saffron in the world.
00:52:03 The red soil in the Kashmir valley is mostly found here.
00:52:08 The red soil is a natural fertilised land.
00:52:15 For example, if we go to another area, we have to work hard to get the land there.
00:52:20 We have to put in compost and other things.
00:52:24 But the red soil is a natural, strong soil, because it's a natural product.
00:52:31 And it's quite famous all over the world.
00:52:34 And that small strand of saffron that you harvest as a result of all of this work?
00:52:38 Well, to get the highest grades, you might need to throw half of it away.
00:52:42 The most expensive, highest-grade saffron is generally made up of just the very tips of the stigma.
00:52:48 In Iran, wherever 90% of the world's saffron is produced, there are four grades.
00:52:53 The lowest grade is the bunch.
00:52:55 That's the entire strand that's pulled from the flower, from the dark red tips to the yellow base.
00:53:00 In higher grades, the yellow strand is removed, leaving only a long strand of pure red.
00:53:05 That means a kilo of saffron could be made up of 450,000 strands.
00:53:10 And to get that many strands, you need 150,000 flowers.
00:53:14 And those flowers take up a lot of growing space.
00:53:18 Cumin, for example, can yield 600 kilos per acre.
00:53:22 Nutmeg gets you around 350 kilograms in the same space.
00:53:27 Use that land for saffron instead, and you get a 1.8 kilogram harvest.
00:53:31 Despite the incredible amount of work and space this crop takes up, demand for the spice is increasing.
00:53:37 And over 200 metric tons of saffron threads are harvested worldwide each year.
00:53:42 That's the result of about 30 billion flowers.
00:53:45 Demand for the threads is so high that many adulterate or produce fake saffron.
00:53:51 Threads that look real at first glance could actually be made of corn silks, coconut fibers, or even horsehair.
00:53:57 Synthetic colorings are also used to dye the lower-grade stigmas and sell them as high-grade saffron.
00:54:02 In late 2019, a fake saffron crime ring was uncovered in the UK, which led to a two-year international investigation.
00:54:09 And back in 2010, Spain exported 190,000 kilos of saffron, worth $50 million.
00:54:16 But the country's total production amounted to only 1,500 kilos.
00:54:20 At the time, a local farmers' union reported that up to 90% of Spanish saffron exports were fraudulent.
00:54:26 The industry has attempted to crack down on these fake and mislabeled products.
00:54:30 But the problem still persists, and the market for fake saffron is closing many real saffron farmers down.
00:54:36 So what does real saffron actually taste like?
00:54:39 I've been asked that one by a lot of people over the years.
00:54:43 It's so difficult to describe, which is, I think, part of its fascination for people
00:54:49 and why it ended up as an expensive product, because it is. It just adds something.
00:54:54 It's a bittersweet flavor, it's an earthy flavor. Trying to replicate it is very difficult.
00:54:59 People have tried to do that, I know.
00:55:02 While saffron is just as popular as ever, it's been sought after throughout history.
00:55:07 In Greek mythology, Zeus sometimes slept on a bed of saffron,
00:55:11 and Cleopatra was said to bathe in saffron and milk, using the dying properties of the spice as an ancient fake tap.
00:55:19 Every culture seems to have its own myth about the spice's powers,
00:55:22 and in the 14th century, saffron's popularity skyrocketed across Europe,
00:55:26 when it was thought to be a possible cure for the plague.
00:55:29 But there's a recent looming problem for saffron and its price — climate change.
00:55:35 In Kashmir, production has dropped significantly, and many farmers are selling their land instead.
00:55:41 We had, you know, very few rains in the last, I think, four or five years.
00:55:47 The temperature and the climate has completely changed in Kashmir.
00:55:50 When I was a kid, when we used to go to the saffron farms to pick up the saffron,
00:55:55 it would at least take us two days to pick up the saffron from the same fields,
00:55:59 which, you know, nowadays you could just pick up in half an hour.
00:56:03 I'm very emotional about the saffron, because this is a cultural identity of Kashmir,
00:56:08 and especially the people of Pampur.
00:56:10 But the thing is that, you know, the production is declining, and, you know, the lands are being sold.
00:56:16 The houses are being built on the saffron lands. You know, it really disheartens me.
00:56:21 Between 2017 and 2018, saffron production in the region fell almost 70 percent,
00:56:28 from 16.5 metric tons down to 5.2.
00:56:32 And with continuing droughts and climate change, this harvest could become even more rare.
00:56:40 Bhavish Choudhury and his mother, Shushila, continuously churn these bilonas for up to an hour.
00:56:46 If they stop for even a second, this batch of ghee will be ruined.
00:56:52 Bilona ghee is clarified butter that's hand-churned using a certain type of wooden beater called a bilona,
00:56:59 and made from the milk of South Asian cow breeds.
00:57:02 In general, ghee is more expensive than traditional butter,
00:57:08 and in India, ghee made this way can cost over three times as much as factory-made ghee.
00:57:14 But there are plenty willing to pay the price.
00:57:17 So why has this ghee risen to the top, and why is it so expensive?
00:57:31 Ghee is a staple of South Asian cooking.
00:57:36 It's commonly eaten on chapati, lentils, rice, and more.
00:57:40 Because of the clarification process, ghee's flavor is nuttier and more concentrated than butter.
00:57:50 But aside from taste, there are practical reasons to choose ghee over butter.
00:57:55 Without any milk solids, ghee can be stored for a longer time without spoiling.
00:58:01 Plus, it has a higher smoke point than butter, which means it's better suited for cooking at high temperatures.
00:58:07 Making this nutty, nutritious ghee requires time, specialized equipment, and happy cows.
00:58:15 Bhavish's process starts at 5.30 in the morning in Rajasthan, India.
00:58:22 Whereas most butter is made by churning cream, this type of ghee is made like cheese,
00:58:30 by separating curds and whey from milk.
00:58:32 The cream method is mechanized and is what's used commercially to make a lot of ghee quickly.
00:58:41 Whereas the bilona method is done completely by hand.
00:58:46 On Bhavish's farm, he and his team need 30 hours to produce just one kilogram of ghee.
00:58:57 Good ghee requires a good pot, which Bhavish must select with his ears.
00:59:04 According to Bhavish, a good pot rings like a bell, while a low-quality one has invisible flaws that make it sound flat.
00:59:15 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
00:59:19 The perfect pot is important because the entire process, from raw milk to ghee, takes place inside it.
00:59:38 After heating the milk from morning to night, and then letting it cool until the next day,
00:59:45 he adds a starter to the milk to jumpstart the curdling process.
00:59:51 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
00:59:55 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
00:59:58 The ghee is left to culture. Fermenting the milk in this way allows the ghee to develop complex flavors,
01:00:17 not commonly found in other types of butter.
01:00:22 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
01:00:25 Using rope and a post for stability, Bhavish and Shushila twist the bilona back and forth to agitate the curd.
01:00:43 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
01:00:50 The bilona method goes back thousands of years, and the tools haven't changed much.
01:00:55 It only takes around two hours to make a bilona by hand from shish and wood, but you have to be in the right place to buy one.
01:01:07 Bhavish sources new bilonas from elders in the village.
01:01:11 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
01:01:16 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
01:01:19 While the bilona is in use, the wood absorbs oil from the ghee.
01:01:33 This helps to preserve the tool and extend its life.
01:01:37 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
01:01:43 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
01:01:45 It takes about an hour of continuous churning to separate the butter from the buttermilk.
01:01:51 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
01:01:55 The result of all that churning is this, makhan, or cultured butter.
01:02:06 To turn it into ghee, Bhavish heats it up again.
01:02:11 Oiling the butter clarifies it, which means the liquid is separate from the milk solids.
01:02:16 The longer he cooks the ghee, the nuttier the aroma and deeper its golden color.
01:02:22 The sweet spot is usually around one to two hours.
01:02:26 What's left in the pot is bilona ghee, ready to be shipped out and eaten.
01:02:32 But only after a blessing from Shushila.
01:02:36 [Shushila speaking in Hindi]
01:02:44 Bhavish and his family have made ghee for generations, but in 2020, he took his business online.
01:02:53 In 2022, the global ghee market peaked at $49.2 billion.
01:03:01 Some estimates expect that number to hit $73.5 billion by 2028.
01:03:06 And demand for a product like Bhavish's continues to grow as well,
01:03:11 even when it can cost around three times as much as the industrial version.
01:03:16 That's because his ghee comes from these indigenous cows.
01:03:22 All of these cows are South Asian breeds, popularly known as Dhirsi cows.
01:03:29 A Dhirsi cow produces about 10 to 12 litres of milk a day.
01:03:33 That's half as much as industrial cows, and nothing can happen if a calf isn't around.
01:03:39 But Bhavish says the quality of their milk makes up for the lower yield.
01:03:44 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
01:03:52 It takes over 20 litres of milk to make just one litre of ghee.
01:03:59 So when demand is high, Bhavish buys milk from other farmers in the village to keep up.
01:04:05 Ghee made using Bhavish's methods from the milk of indigenous cows is often marketed as A2 Dhirsi ghee.
01:04:12 A2 refers to a specific type of protein found in milk, beta-casein.
01:04:18 While milk from Western dairy cows contains both A1 and A2 beta-casein,
01:04:25 milk from Dhirsi cows only contains the A2 protein.
01:04:28 In researching what this difference means, a 2016 study found that A2 milk was easier for people with lactose intolerance to digest.
01:04:38 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
01:04:42 For many of Bhavish's customers, the difference between A1 and A2 ghee is an Ayurvedic and religious one.
01:04:51 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
01:04:58 Bhavish's biggest orders come from cities nationwide, but they are a long way from his remote village.
01:05:06 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
01:05:13 But despite the logistical challenges, Bhavish likes the work.
01:05:19 [Bhavish speaking in Hindi]
01:05:35 Green cardamom is one of the most expensive spices in the world.
01:05:42 Just one kilogram of it can sell for $90.
01:05:47 But getting that little bit of green cardamom requires a lot of work.
01:05:51 Harvesters need to collect 6 kilograms of these small raw pods by hand to produce just one kilogram of the spice.
01:05:59 So why is it so hard to grow green cardamom? And is that what makes it so expensive?
01:06:09 Known as the "Queen of Spices," cardamom comes from small, oval-shaped fruits called pods, which contain several black seeds inside.
01:06:17 Those seeds are what give green cardamom its uniquely citrusy, sweet flavor and aroma.
01:06:23 The green cardamom plant grows in select regions around the world, but it especially thrives in India's Iduki district, where Raja's family has grown the spice for 30 years.
01:06:35 After cardamom is planted, farmers must wait three years for the plants to mature.
01:06:40 When that waiting period is finally over, workers have most of the year, from July to next February, to harvest.
01:06:47 While that's a long harvesting period, not all of the pods can be harvested at the same time.
01:06:53 And knowing precisely when to harvest is a job for highly skilled workers.
01:06:59 We have to keep an eye on the pods and harvest them at the right time.
01:07:05 If we don't harvest them at the right time, it will be a waste.
01:07:09 And if we harvest them before the harvest, it will be a waste and won't sell well.
01:07:14 It's not a good harvest.
01:07:17 Women who know how to harvest cardamom, they will pick up two pods at a time.
01:07:23 One is the black one, which is harvested right after the first harvest.
01:07:28 And the other is the black one.
01:07:30 To do the job right, harvesters train for six months alongside experienced farmers.
01:07:36 This is when they learn to decipher a ripe fruit that can be picked versus a raw pod that is not yet ready to harvest.
01:07:44 You can't tell the difference between the fruit and the pod.
01:07:48 In the end, the plant doesn't yield much.
01:07:51 Farmers harvest a maximum of 10 pods on average from each plant.
01:07:57 Each of these pods produces only about 1.5 teaspoons of ground cardamom.
01:08:01 But harvesting is just the beginning.
01:08:04 Only after the pods are dried will they look like the green cardamom sold in stores.
01:08:09 You can buy cardamom pods, just the black seeds, or ground cardamom, which are the seeds in powdered form.
01:08:16 All of the pods head to a separate location to dry for about 18 hours, within a day or so after harvesting.
01:08:25 Any delay will cause the pods to decay and lose flavor.
01:08:29 Drying also preserves the spice's green color, a factor that directly impacts how valuable a pod will be and what it will be used for.
01:08:38 From here, the pods are cleaned and sorted.
01:08:52 Workers use their hands to push and separate the smaller, lower-quality pods through the holes.
01:08:57 Each pod is then graded based on its size, weight, and color.
01:09:03 Highly valued pods are bigger, greener, and full of seeds.
01:09:07 Out of all the cardamom Raja harvests, the majority won't be worth very much.
01:09:13 In fact, only a sixth will qualify as good-quality, marketable cardamom.
01:09:20 This cardamom is of the highest quality, 8mm.
01:09:23 This is of the highest quality.
01:09:25 It's good quality, and it has a lot of seeds.
01:09:29 This costs Rs. 1,600.
01:09:32 Some exported whole-green cardamom pods from other producers can be even costlier,
01:09:38 retailing for over four times the price at $90 per kilogram.
01:09:44 The company's lowest grade costs 900 Indian rupees, or about $12 per kilogram, and can be sold as ground cardamom.
01:09:52 Pods with any sign of discoloration or rot aren't marketable and will therefore be rejected.
01:10:00 This is called "vaavadudal."
01:10:02 It's a type of resection, because it's overripe and breaks.
01:10:08 This is "alukkali alakka."
01:10:10 It's a type of cardamom that's been destroyed in the plant itself, so it's not marketable.
01:10:15 But this whole process could be totally disrupted by changes in weather.
01:10:21 If there's too much rain, the pods will rot.
01:10:24 If there's not enough, they'll burn out from the sun.
01:10:29 More recently, the world's climate crisis and unpredictable weather in India's Iduki district specifically have hurt supplies of green cardamom.
01:10:37 The district makes up at least a sixth of global production and roughly three-quarters of India's green cardamom production.
01:10:45 But its supply took a hit in recent years, as harsh weather and rains ruined farmers' crops.
01:10:52 This drove up the prices of cardamom in 2019, but didn't necessarily benefit small farmers.
01:10:58 In order to make a huge profit, farmers need a large inventory.
01:11:03 And when cardamom is sold in small amounts by small farmers, most of the payment is used to cover the cost of production only.
01:11:11 Raja spends about 15,000 Indian rupees, or about $200 per acre, just on fertilizer.
01:11:20 That's between 10 and 15 percent of the total profits he'll make off that acre.
01:11:25 And those profits often don't cover the total Raja must spend on production.
01:11:32 [Speaking in Tamil]
01:12:00 All this considered, the global cardamom market is expected to grow by about $169 million between 2021 and 2025.
01:12:10 This is good for the industry, but could present a challenge for farmers unable to meet demand, as the climate crisis continues to threaten the supply of this coveted spice.
01:12:24 In the forests of South India, harvesters climb trees as tall as 50 feet to handpick these clove buds.
01:12:31 When exported, less than half a pound of these dried cloves cost $30.
01:12:38 That's 10 times as much as some cumin.
01:12:41 But as they focus on keeping their balance, harvesters must also be careful not to break the buds.
01:12:49 If they do, the value of the clove drops significantly, and that's just where the risk begins.
01:12:55 To harvest cloves correctly, workers put their lives on the line.
01:12:59 So what makes cloves worth the risks? And why are they so expensive?
01:13:05 Cloves are the flower buds of clove trees that haven't blossomed yet.
01:13:13 When dried, they're commonly used as a spice.
01:13:18 A clove's flavor is complex, with notes of sweetness, bitterness, and heat.
01:13:22 The oil found in cloves has medicinal properties that make the spice valuable outside of just cooking.
01:13:28 Cloves with the round head or crown still intact have the most oil.
01:13:33 But to get cloves with the highest possible oil content, highly skilled workers are needed at every stage.
01:13:41 Harvesting cloves is a very big job. It's a very risky job.
01:13:45 So we have to get special people to do that.
01:13:49 To get to the top of the trees, harvesters like Shibu rely on only a ladder and some rope.
01:13:57 He reinforces the bottom of the ladder with mud so it doesn't move as he navigates the tall tree.
01:14:03 Shibu ties a sack to his waist and then he starts his climb, working his way from the top of the tree to the bottom.
01:14:10 Shibu is a very good climber. He's able to climb up to a height of about 20 meters.
01:14:19 Harvesters can't pick too soon or too late, or the cloves will drop in grade and value.
01:14:26 In addition to picking at the exact right time and being careful not to harm the clove bud,
01:14:32 they need to be sure not to break the tree branches they climb.
01:14:36 Otherwise, the tree will have a lower yield next harvesting season.
01:14:42 Navigating all these elements can be extremely dangerous.
01:14:47 In Black Rock Estates, harvesting cloves has led to death.
01:14:51 A couple of years back, we lost a worker while he was plucking the lightning-striped thyme.
01:14:58 We lost almost about six of them. They had paralyzed legs.
01:15:03 We had to take them to the hospital.
01:15:07 Yet handpicking is the only way farms like Black Rock Estate have managed to keep delivering quality cloves.
01:15:13 Because timing is crucial, Charles needs a big team to pick the cloves as soon as they're ready,
01:15:21 which is usually mid-to-late February.
01:15:24 Charles can sell the cloves for their highest price in the fall,
01:15:28 and he's able to do so by picking them up in the morning.
01:15:33 The more he can harvest during this time, the better it is for business.
01:15:37 When the clove season is fully on, when we have a very good crop, we get about nearly 300 workers.
01:15:44 During peak harvesting season, these workers make around $30 a day on average.
01:15:50 Once the clove clusters are picked, harvesters carefully remove the individual buds from the clove cluster.
01:15:58 Once the clove clusters are picked, harvesters carefully remove the individual buds from the stalks and leaves.
01:16:04 They sift and sort each bud according to its size, age, and whether it has a top.
01:16:10 It's best if the circular crown of the clove, where it would otherwise flower, is still intact.
01:16:16 This improves the spice's taste and aroma.
01:16:19 Even though there are machines to help with this process,
01:16:24 Charles prefers to pay for it to be done by hand to lower the risk of clove damage.
01:16:28 They have clove breaking and sorting with machinery,
01:16:32 but still half the clove is damaged in that. We get broken cloves in that.
01:16:37 So it's not very good doing it with the machine.
01:16:40 The highest-quality cloves were picked at the right time, just before they turned pink or flowered.
01:16:46 They're large and plump and still have the crown.
01:16:49 Second-quality cloves also still have their tops, but they're smaller.
01:16:53 They were either picked too early or too late.
01:16:55 And the third quality has no crown, with the top having either flowered or broken off.
01:17:01 After the sorting, workers leave the cloves out to dry in the sun.
01:17:05 High-quality cloves take three days to dry under good sunlight.
01:17:08 But a quality clove won't always get sold as the highest grade,
01:17:12 because official grading doesn't happen until after it's dry.
01:17:16 If there's too little or too much sun, the clove's quality drops.
01:17:22 Instead of golden brown, it becomes black, and it loses one of its most valuable properties, its oil content.
01:17:29 First-quality cloves are the most fragrant and have the highest oil content.
01:17:34 The headless third-quality cloves have the least.
01:17:38 And the difference shows in the price.
01:17:41 Charles sells his first-quality cloves for about $10 a kilogram,
01:17:45 and its lowest grade for under $7.
01:17:49 Clove oil is mostly made up of the compound eugenol,
01:17:53 which is not only responsible for the clove's familiar aroma, but also for its medicinal benefits.
01:17:58 Researchers have noted eugenol has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, and antioxidant properties.
01:18:06 So the demand for cloves goes beyond their culinary uses.
01:18:11 Cloves are so sought after in India that Charles is able to sell more than just the buds.
01:18:17 We sell everything. Nothing goes to waste.
01:18:19 Even the pollen, the dust, everything we sell.
01:18:23 That's also because the cloves he grows, Kanyakumari cloves, are known for their high oil content and strong aroma.
01:18:32 In fact, these cloves were awarded a GI indication in 2021.
01:18:37 Charles says Kanyakumari cloves are the most expensive variety in India.
01:18:44 If you go to the market to buy cloves, the clove price will be three times the price what we give.
01:18:50 It will be about 2,000 rupees, where we get only 750.
01:18:53 The retail price is so much higher because of the supply chain.
01:18:57 To maximize on profits for the farm, Charles won't sell his cloves directly to consumers,
01:19:02 who only buy smaller amounts as needed.
01:19:05 Instead, he sells to clove dealers who buy large quantities.
01:19:10 Dealers like Franklin Roosevelt then have to keep the cloves fresh until they sell them to retailers.
01:19:15 If he doesn't store the cloves properly, their shelf life drops.
01:19:19 To cover the cost of quality control, Franklin sells cloves to stores for almost $12 a kilo.
01:19:39 The shops that buy from Franklin have to pay transportation and packaging costs,
01:19:44 bringing the retail price of cloves in India even higher.
01:19:47 But one of the biggest challenges in every step of the supply chain has been the changing climate.
01:19:54 Because of the heavy rains, the fungus in the trees falls off.
01:19:58 All the crops fall off.
01:20:00 The landlord and the owners also suffer heavy losses.
01:20:04 And the traders like me, we bring a lot of laborers from outside the village.
01:20:11 The laborers don't have jobs.
01:20:13 We can't even trade properly.
01:20:17 Between 2018 and 2019, India lost 13 metric tons of cloves due to heavy rainfall.
01:20:23 And while the global clove market is expected to grow by 3.5% by 2027,
01:20:29 the changing climate may still continue to disproportionately burden clove farmers.
01:20:34 Farmers don't see much profit.
01:20:38 I said that because of the rain, they don't get as much return as they invested.
01:20:45 If they come to the trading line, it's fine.
01:20:48 But very few people come because they don't take the risk.
01:20:52 If they take the risk, they get the money.
01:20:58 To make a Pathan Potola saree, each section of each bundle of silk is meticulously dyed a specific color.
01:21:06 But it's only when the threads are woven together and the pattern is revealed
01:21:12 that artisans will know if their mathematical precision worked.
01:21:16 Most other sarees are embroidered during weaving.
01:21:20 But the intricate designs in Pathan Potola are dyed directly onto the silk.
01:21:25 So any mistake artisans make is irreversible, risking months worth of work.
01:21:30 When it's complete, which can take over a year, a Pathan Potola saree can cost over $8,000.
01:21:39 So why does it take so long to make a Pathan Potola saree?
01:21:44 And what makes it so expensive?
01:21:52 In the Indian state of Gujarat, a Salvi family's company, Potola House,
01:21:56 is one of only a handful of producers of authentic Pathan Potola.
01:22:00 Because of the time-intensive process, Potola House makes an average of only 15 Potola sarees a month.
01:22:09 Even among expensive woven textiles, Pathan Potola sarees are unique.
01:22:15 Whereas most textiles are elaborately embroidered on a loom,
01:22:20 Pathan Potola uses what's called a double ikat design.
01:22:23 The weft, or horizontal, and warp, or vertical threads, are painstakingly dyed separately.
01:22:31 Only when the weft and warp are woven together will the final design reveal itself.
01:22:37 The months-long process begins with high-quality raw silk, purchased for up to $110 a kilogram.
01:22:49 A single saree requires just under a kilogram of silk.
01:22:53 These threads are as fine as hair, so the artisans must combine them to create a stronger thread they can use for weaving.
01:23:01 They clean the silk and bleach it so it is bright white to best absorb the dye.
01:23:07 Meanwhile, designers like Mehul Salvi create detailed sketches on graph paper for the dyers and weavers to follow.
01:23:16 The measurements can be as small as one hundredth of an inch.
01:23:19 It takes Mehul up to 10 days to finish a pattern.
01:23:23 The sketch is passed on to artisans like Limbachiya Priya Ashwin Kumar,
01:23:40 who translates the specifications to the warp and weft threads.
01:23:45 She does this by marking the different sections onto the silk with a single string dipped in coal.
01:23:52 Priya says this is the most challenging part of her work.
01:23:58 When she's done, Priya prepares the threads for resist dyeing.
01:24:11 She tightly wraps cotton string around certain sections of the silk thread according to her markings.
01:24:16 Priya covers the parts that shouldn't be dyed, leaving only the parts that will be dyed exposed.
01:24:23 Multiple layers of tightly wound cotton thread ensure that liquid cannot get through.
01:24:30 I hold the thread like this, but it shouldn't move.
01:24:34 The thread should stay in this position.
01:24:37 If I do this, it will make a noise.
01:24:42 If it doesn't make a noise, we will know that we have tied a thread loosely.
01:24:48 Dyeing the threads is the most time-consuming part of the process,
01:24:54 taking several months to over a year to complete, depending on the complexity of the design.
01:24:59 The background colour, usually red, is dyed first.
01:25:03 The thread must dry completely before another colour can be added,
01:25:07 and Batola House says its sarees typically have at least five colours.
01:25:12 More complex designs can have even more.
01:25:16 When we dye, we tie the threads.
01:25:21 In the design, some places are very small,
01:25:25 and the bunches are made up of several threads,
01:25:28 300 threads in one bunch.
01:25:30 So, in small places, the colour should be applied to each thread.
01:25:35 That's a challenging part.
01:25:37 The dyed sections are wrapped, while the parts that need to be coloured next are unravelled,
01:25:45 and the cycle repeats.
01:25:46 Once all the colours have been dyed,
01:26:12 it takes a team of five people two days to detangle the knots and prepare the silk for weaving.
01:26:18 The looms used for Potan Batola are unique.
01:26:28 Whereas most looms stand upright and can be operated by a single person with a foot pedal,
01:26:33 Potan Batola requires a slanted hanging loom and two workers to operate it.
01:26:40 Hanging looms allow more light to pass,
01:26:42 so the weavers can keep a close eye on the design.
01:26:46 To weave just six inches, they must work for two and a half hours.
01:26:54 If the tension in the threads is too tight, the threads will move upwards,
01:26:59 and if it's too loose, they'll move downwards, compromising the accuracy of the design.
01:27:07 So every six inches, weavers pause to adjust the tension of the threads using ballpoint needles,
01:27:13 which takes another two and a half hours.
01:27:16 Then they spend the same amount of time ensuring the warp and weft match perfectly before continuing.
01:27:22 That's almost eight hours of work for only six inches of Potan Batola.
01:27:27 A Potan Batola saree is typically 5.5 metres long and a little over a metre wide.
01:27:35 But in this process, the threads can break.
01:27:38 The weaving process takes about a month to finish.
01:27:58 A design with a lot of repetition is easier to make and can be finished in as little as four months.
01:28:04 These designs usually cost slightly over $1,500.
01:28:08 But more complex designs with no repeating patterns can take a year and a half and go for over $8,500.
01:28:17 But over the years, Mehul says, costs of production have increased.
01:28:25 If you look at labour, the salary we used to pay has doubled.
01:28:31 So everything has become easier.
01:28:35 Before COVID-19, Batola House would buy silk for $73 a kilogram, but now it pays $110.
01:28:43 And the dyes it uses aren't cheap either.
01:28:47 Some cost $24 a kilogram, while others cost over $120.
01:28:53 And imported dyes like indigo can cost the company over $300 a kilo.
01:28:59 Batola House produces Potan Batola the same way it was done centuries ago, by hand, with no mechanisation.
01:29:10 Though there are conflicting origin stories for the fabric, it's believed to have gained importance in India between the 11th and 13th centuries.
01:29:19 The Rani Kubav stepwell, built in the 11th century in Bhutan, depicts traditional Batola designs.
01:29:26 These saris were a status symbol, worn by aristocrats and royalty.
01:29:31 Even today, the high price tag means they're only worn by those who can afford it.
01:29:37 Batola House has seen demand for its saris continue to increase as the fabric is getting more attention.
01:29:44 Once a dying craft, Batola has been featured in Lakme Fashion Week.
01:29:49 To meet the demand, Batola House employs more than 250 people.
01:29:56 It's going to be made by the time it's ready.
01:29:59 When it's not ready, we'll see.
01:30:02 You pay the price for it.
01:30:05 Those who know it's organic and pure, pay the price.
01:30:12 That's it.
01:30:14 [Music]
01:30:28 [Music]