Govt extends National Saffron Mission to the North East
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New Delhi, Nov 10: The Saffron Production under the National Saffron Mission that was so far confined to the UT of Kashmir will now be implemented in the North East. The plants will be transported from Kashmir to Sikkim.
The production of world's most expensive spice has been confined to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir since a really long period. The spice is mainly grown in the Pampore region of the Kashmir valley, which is why the region is also known as 'Saffron Bowl of Kashmir' and is the main contributor to saffron production.
NECTAR (North East Centre for Technology Application and Research) is the autonomous body under which the pilot project to explore feasibility of growing saffron in the North East region was determined.
According to the University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, around 128 bore wells are required in order to cultivate saffron in the region. However, only three had been constructed initially. The National Saffron Mission constructed 85 more bore wells.
But the region needs to be fed with more bore wells to sustain and develop Saffron cultivation in the region. Another major constraint to saffron production in Kashmir is the Himalayan floods which damage around Rs 668 crore worth of saffron annually.
These reasons have driven the Government to extend the National Saffron Mission to other parts of the country, which provide favorable climatic conditions for Saffron cultivation. The Mission was launched in 2010, with an aim to increase saffron production in the Kashmir valley.
It was initially a four year mission that was to be implemented between 2010-14. However, it was extended later since the saffron production declined greatly in 2014.
Bharati Web
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