Sikkim, 11th November: Saffron bowl which was confined to Kashmir yet, may expand to the North-Eastern region of India.
An agency under the Union ministry of science and technology, Northeast Centre for Technology Application and Research (NECTAR), successfully grew the spice at Yangyang in Sikkim with the same quality and higher quantity. Now, it is trying to do the same other parts of hills such as – Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Meghalaya.
An ambitious attempt to grow the much-coveted spice is underway in the Northeast, which enjoys similar climatic conditions as Jammu & Kashmir.
The botany and horticulture department of Sikkim Central University execute tests to understand the soil and actual pH conditions of Yangyang of Sikkim and found it comparable to saffron-growing places of Kashmir.
Saffron seeds were purchased and transported by air from Kashmir to Yangyang by the university. A saffron grower was occupied to look after the complete growing process along with the faculty of the university.
The corms were irrigated during September-October, which ensured timely corm sprouting and good flower yields. Similar climatic and geographical conditions between Pampore, known as the saffron bowl of Kashmir and Yangyang led to its successful sample farming.
As saffron growing was confined to very specific areas in Kashmir, its production remained limited. Though the National Mission on Saffron focused on several measures to improve its farming, the measures were still limited to the specified areas of Kashmir.
