News Highlight
The Kashmir tourism department had recently invited students and local farmers to join the saffron festival organised in Ladoo area to highlight the whole process of saffron cultivation.
Saffron
- Saffron, golden-coloured, pungent stigmas (pollen-bearing structures) of the autumn crocus (Crocus sativus), which are dried and used as a spice to flavour foods and as a dye to colour foods and other products.
- The unique characteristics of Kashmir saffron are its longer and thicker stigmas, natural deep-red colour, high aroma, bitter flavour, chemical-free processing, and high quantity of crocin (colouring strength), safranal (flavour) and picrocrocin (bitterness).
- Also known as ‘red gold’, Kashmiri saffron was given a GI tag in the international market, which increased its importance even more.
- GI tag helped it to compete with its competitors in the market.
- It is the only saffron in the world grown at an altitude of 1,600 m to 1,800 m AMSL (above mean sea level).
- Pampore region, in India, commonly known as Saffron bowl of Kashmir, is the main contributor to saffron production, followed by Budgam, Srinagar, and Kishtiwar districts.
- National Mission on Saffron is focused on several measures to improve its farming.
Saffron Cultivation
- In India, saffron Corms (seeds) are cultivated during the months of June and July and at some places in August and September.
- It starts flowering in October.
Geographical Conditions for Saffron Cultivation
- Altitude: Saffron grows well at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level. It requires 12 hours of sunlight.
- Soil: It grows in a wide variety of soil types, but grows best in calcareous (soil rich in calcium carbonate), humus-rich and well-drained soils with a pH of 6 to 8.
- Climate: Saffron cultivation requires a clear climate summer and winter with temperatures not exceeding 35 or 40°C in summer and -15 or -20°C in winter.
- Rainfall: It also requires adequate rainfall that is 1000-1500 mm per annum.
Initiatives to Promote Saffron Cultivation
- National Saffron Mission
- The National Saffron Mission was approved by the Central Government in 2010 to provide support for development of irrigation facilities through tube wells and sprinkler boxes to help produce better crops in saffron production.
- Saffron Bowl Project
- North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) under Saffron Bowl Project has identified few locations in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya for saffron cultivation.
Pic Courtesy: freepik
Content Source: The Hindu