Jammu and Kashmir government has formulated a Rs 375-crore plan for the development and revival of saffron cultivation in the state. The plan is expected to be submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his scheduled visit to the state in June, it was announced here on Thursday.
The Plan has been formulated by a committee headed by vice-chancellor of the Valley’s Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-K), Anwar Alam. The committee presented the plan to minister for agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir here earlier during the day. The committee was constituted by the minister in April this year to suggest measures for the revival and expansion of saffron cultivation in the state. The saffron cultivation in Kashmir Valley has been affected mainly due to diversion of saffron land for construction and other purposes. The adulteration in the product and instances of fake saffron being marketed outside the Valley in the name of brand Kashmir saffron too have had adverse impact on the trade which once thrived in the Valley.
According to Mr Mir, the state government intends to brand saffron as a national product on the lines of coconut and chestnut.