J&K launches Kashmiri saffron in United Arab Emirates market
With an aim to raise and promote Kashmiri saffron, which recently received the geographical indication tag, within the geographical region, the Jammu and Kashmir government for the primary time launched the spice within the UAE market.
A geographical indication (GI) could be a sign used on a product that has a particular geographical origin and possess qualities or a name that square measure because of that origin. Saffron created in the geographical area was given the GI tag in July with the target to place the Valley’s complete on the world map.
Jammu and Kashmir’s Principal Secretary (Agriculture) Navin K Choudhary launched the Kashmiri saffron on weekdays at the UAE-India Food Security Summit 2020.
“I am delighted that for the primary time, Kashmiri saffron has been introduced to the UAE market,” Choudhary same on the occasion.
Kashmiri saffron, additionally referred to as ‘Zafran’ in Urdu, is noted globally as a spice with several healthful advantages. It represents the wealthy cultural heritage of Jammu and its geographical area.
Choudhary same Kashmiri saffron was exported for the primary time when it got the GI certification.
“I am positive that its export can grow rather more into metropolis and different cities of the UAE et al,” he said.
Consul General of India to the metropolis and the Northern Emirates, Dr. Aman Puri and Kamal Vachani, cluster Director of Al Maya cluster were additionally gifted throughout the launch.
Earlier, addressing the summit, Choudhary same Jammu and geographical area is undergoing transformation within the political and legal arena in conjunction with reforms in its economy.
The union territory is going to double its agricultural and husbandry turn out through technological interventions and high yield plantations, he said.
Besides the Al Maya cluster, which has launched the Kashmiri saffron within the UAE market, the smasher cluster additionally sourced farming turn out from J&K for the center East and has plans for procural of apples, walnuts, and saffron.
The company has already shipped ten containers (200 tonnes) of 3 apple variants from the region to the center East market.
Choudhary is leading a 20-member delegation of businessmen and administration from Jammu and the geographical area to the two-day food security summit, that started on weekdays.
Organised by the diplomatic building General of {india|India|Republic of India|Bharat|Asian country|Asian nation} in the metropolis in association with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and Invest India, the event brings many key stakeholders from each the countries on one platform to share their experiences, deliberate on solutions and explore ways in which to more increase the collaboration within the food security sector.
About Kashmiri Saffron
Kashmir saffron, which is cultivated and harvested within the Karewa (highlands) of Jammu and geographical area, has been given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications register. The spice is mature in some regions of geographical area, as well as Pulwama, Budgam, Kishtwar, and Srinagar.
The application was filed by the board of directors of Agriculture, Government of Jammu and Kashmir area, and expedited by the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology, Kashmir, and Saffron analysis Station, Dussu (Pampore).
Kashmiri Saffron is ‘Very precious’
Chinnaraja G. Naidu, Deputy Registrar of Geographical Indications, said, “Kashmir saffron could be a terribly precious and dear product. Iran is that the largest producer of saffron and India could be a shut challenger. With the GI tag, geographical area saffron would gain additional prominence within the export market,” he added.
Kashmir saffron is noted globally as a spice. It rejuvenates health and is employed in cosmetics and for healthful functions. it's been related to ancient Kashmiri culinary art and represents the wealthy cultural heritage of the region. The distinctive characteristics of Kashmiri saffron are its longer and thicker stigmas, natural deep-red color, high aroma, bitter flavor, chemical-free process, and high amount of crocin (coloring strength), safranal (flavor) and picrocrocin (bitterness).
It is the sole saffron within the world mature at associate degree altitude of one,600 m to 1,800 m AMSL (above mean ocean level), that adds to its singularity and differentiates it from different saffron varieties accessible the globe over.
The saffron accessible in a geographical area is of 3 sorts — ‘Lachha Saffron’, with stigmas simply separated from the flowers and dried while not more processing; ‘Mongra Saffron’, during which stigmas square measure detached from the flower, dried within the sun and processed traditionally; and ‘Guchhi Saffron’, that is that the same as Lachha, except that the latter’s dried stigmas square measure packed loosely during air-tight containers whereas the previous has stigmas joined along in a bundle tied with an artifact thread.
Saffron cultivation is believed to own been introduced in Jammu and Kashmir area by Central Asian immigrants around the first Century BCE. In ancient Sanskrit literature, saffron is observed as ‘bahukam’.
Kashmiri Saffron is Costliest
Saffron, the world’s costliest spice springs from Crocus sativus, or the purple saffron flower. The saffron strands that we have a tendency to all square measure aware of square measure primarily the designs and stigma of the flower that square measure collected and dried to be sold at costs of gold. Kashmiri saffron is that the rarest and also the costliest style of saffron accessible within the world. the explanation for this can be its restricted production of simply over 2000 kgs, which is incredibly less as compared to different producers of saffron. Also, what distinguishes Pure Kashmiri saffron from Italian, Spanish or Afghani Saffron is its highest levels of safranal, crocin, and picrocrocin. These 3 compounds square measure accountable for giving Kashmiri saffron its intense color, aroma, and deep pungent style. opt for and obtain on-line from among the various varieties of saffron we provide and that we can get wise delivered to the doorstep, anyplace within the word.
In the Pampore space of the south geographical area, simply fourteen kilometers from summer capital Srinagar, immeasurable families square measure concerned in cultivating the native iridaceous plant flower that is planted over thousands of hectares. The red saffron threads of this flower square measure fastidiously handpicked by harvesters – largely ladies – to be sold at immoderate costs round the world.
“When I used to be a baby, I dear to go to the saffron fields – the flowers covering the land during a purple blanket astounded American state,” same Rifat January, whose family and in-laws are farming saffron for many years. “When I grew up, I understood that the additional vibrant the land, the higher the crop.”
Kashmiri Saffron purple fields
In Jammu and geographical area, four districts – Pulwama, Budgam, Srinagar, and Kishtwar – grow saffron. Among the four, Pulwama district’s Pampore has earned the title of Kashmir’s “saffron town” for growing the simplest quality saffron. The soil quality during this space is very appropriate for its cultivation and yields the prized “Kashmiri saffron” familiar for its aroma, color, and healthful price.
Around 30,000 families within the Pampore space square measure related to saffron cultivation. The town’s saffron is taken into account to be of superior quality owing to the presence of a better concentration of crocin. Its crocin content – which supplies the saffron its darker color and healthful price – is eight.72% as compared to the Iranian selection that contains six.82%.
According to the 2011 census, about eleven,000 ladies within the geographical area vale add the saffron farming sector, nearly five-hundredths of the workforce for this crop.
Their role is essential in separating the fragile saffron thread from the flower. every thread consists of 3 strands and everyone should be picked from the flower properly. The threads square measure then dried within the daylight, another difficult step, as they have to unfold equally at an explicit thickness on a white sheet. The strands square measure then preserved during a cloth thus air will ceaselessly have to avoid the buildup of wetness and decay.
This entire method is finished by ladies farmers.
Jan and immeasurable different families have mature saffron for the past eight or 9 decades and also the financial gain from the crop has been important in serving to with huge investments like building a house or the marriage of youngsters. however, a decline in production as a result of global climate change has halted these expenses, with farmers losing hope that the turn out can increase.
Knocked by the modification in climate, poor irrigation, and imports of the cheaper Iranian selection, saffron production within the vale has declined chop-chop. consistent with the Department of Agriculture geographical area, the assembly of Kashmiri saffron has declined by sixty-fifth over the past twenty years from sixteen metric tonnes to five.6 metric tonnes.
In the past ten years, the low yield has become a deterrent for farmers and plenty of of them have already shifted to different high-yielding crops like apples and walnuts.
The area underneath saffron cultivation has shrunken at a quick pace from around five,707 hectares in 1996 to three,875 hectares in 2010-11.
Mubeena Akhter, UN agency lives within the near-space of Nambalabal in Pampore, same that twenty years past it might take her entire family months to complete the method.
“The entire winter we might separate the stigma [the half on that spore accumulates] from flowers and also the house would continuously stay crammed with saffron fragrance and my palms would flip golden from operating with it,” same Mubeena. “This was strict as a result of the turn out was thus sensible that it might take North American nation time to pluck and package, thus we might keep the work for winters.”
Costly action, very little success
To address the challenges faced by a climate change-hit sector, the J&K government took many steps.
In 2007, the Saffron Act was introduced, that barred the conversion of saffron farms to business plots and levied a penalty of Rs ten,000 and one year’s imprisonment on violators. The act dissuaded the land mafia within the space UN agency had begun to obtain land in bulk and build homes on that.
In 2010, Rs 400-crore National Saffron Mission was found out to revive the world. The goals were diverse: from providing irrigation through sprinklers and faucets, increasing the standard of the seed planted for crops, conducting analysis to reinforce productivity, and educating farmers concerning new strategies of farming.
Unfortunately, the mission has not helped increase the yield because it has didn't fulfill its targets and already uncomprehensible 2 deadlines (2014 and 2019).
So far, the mission has discharged Rs 266 large integer of that the bulk – Rs 247 large integer – has been utilized.
“The saffron mission hardly helped the crop to grow as a result of the main target of the department is just dig bore wells and installation of sprinkles while not putting in power transformers or a daily electricity offer,” same prophet Yousuf Wani, the vice-president of the valley’s Saffron Growers Association. “The government put in diesel motors, [but] the diesel price is to be borne by the farmers. That price is simply too high, [more] than the assembly itself.”
Altaf Aijaz Andrabi, the director of the Department of Agriculture, same that the department faced problems because of varied “unavoidable conditions”, like the non-availability of labor and sharp internment because of the Covid-19 pandemic that resulted during a delay.
“Out of the full land accessible for cultivation, we've got already connected thirty third to the irrigation theme and for the remaining sixty-six, the essential infrastructure has been developed,” he told The Third Pole. “The work is going to be completed by 2020.”
Kashmiri Saffron gets GI Tag
In might this year, Kashmiri saffron was given a geographical indication tag by the geographical indications register. The request was filed by the board of directors of Agriculture, Government of Jammu and geographical area, and expedited by the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology, Kashmir, and Saffron analysis Station, Dussu (Pampore) with the aim to form it misbr for somebody outside the vale to form and sell the same product underneath the “Kashmiri saffron” name.
According to Article twenty-two (I) of the globe Trade Organisation Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of material possession Rights Agreement, GI tags square measure “indications that establish a product as originating therein territory, wherever a given quality, name or characteristic of the merchandise is actually as a result of its geographic origin”.
“The GI tag can facilitate Kashmiri saffron regain quality and can modification the worth,” same Andrabi. “It will add genuineness and farmers are going to be economically benefited. this can additionally shrink the area for those that do adulteration or rebrand Iranian saffron as Kashmiri.”
“When the production is decreasing and also the mission is missing deadlines while not serving to farmers, however can these secondary initiatives help? as an example, the GI tag, and also the trendy post-production ways can become once the assembly will increase. the assembly will increase only if the fields get correct irrigation which has not happened since 2010.”
Another challenge facing saffron production is poor adherence to the observation of adjusting its corms or seeds.
“In Kashmir, growers sow 225,000 corms per area unit, whereas science suggests it ought to be five hundred,000,” aforementioned Bashir Ahmad Illahi, saffron knowledgeable at the Sher-i-Kashmir Agricultural University of Science and Technology.
“After each four-year cycle, farmers ought to amendment the seeds. however [here] they modify the corms when every thirty years which ends up not simply in poor crop production however lets the seed divide and reduce in size when fermentation,” he added. “This may result in the degradation of quality.”
As these efforts to revive the once-thriving heritage crop show very little promise, ladies cultivators like January place their religion within the Almighty rather than the govt.
Like different ladies in her family, January believes that the land produces the distinctive quality saffron as a result of the blessings of 2 renowned Sufi saints Khawaja Masood Wali and tribal sheik Sharifudin Wali UN agency visited Kashmir within the twelfth century and blessed the land.
For saffron, a crop that depends on wet for an honest yield, irrigation is crucial.
“We had an honest downfall within the month of Nov in 2019 and conjointly an honest spell of rain within the 1st week of Sep this year,” aforementioned Andrabi, UN agency to is wanting to divine blessings for an honest yield. “I believe one thing smart went on, and believe the Almighty’s blessing for an honest crop this year.”
Tags: J&K launches Kashmiri saffron in UAE market: Kashmir Saffron gets GI Tag, Kashmiri Saffron is very Precious
