After Jammu And Kashmir, Saffron Cultivation Likely To Be Expanded To Northeast India

The North East Centre For Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) has undertaken a pilot project to explore the feasibility of growing saffron in North East region of the country.

"The saffron bowl, which was so far confined to Kashmir, may soon expand to the North East of India. Plants from seeds transported from Kashmir to Sikkim and acclimatized there are now flowering in Yangyang in the Southern part of the North-East state," said the statement from NECTAR.

Saffron has traditionally been associated with the famous Kashmiri cuisine. It's medicinal values were considered as part of the rich cultural heritage of Kashmir. 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.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)