Spices Board partners with Jammu and Kashmir Government to hard sell quality saffron

The Spices Board has teamed up with the Jammu and Kashmir Government to boost production of saffron and provide value addition to the signature Kashmiri spice for its consumption and trading.

KOCHI: The Spices Board has teamed up with the Jammu and Kashmir Government to boost production of saffron and provide value addition to the signature Kashmiri spice for its consumption and trading in both domestic and international markets. The Board and  state government are also going full throttle to secure GI (geographical indication) registration for high-quality saffron procured from Kashmir.

The issues pertaining to the saffron trade figured in the deliberations at the two-day national seminar on saffron held in Srinagar recently.  Delivering the keynote address, Spices Board chairman A Jayathilak said the board and the J&K Government are working in tandem for getting the GI registration for saffron. "The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs has initiated the development of Codex standard for saffron at its third session  in Chennai in February 2017,” he had said.

The saffron trade will get a fillip by addressing the issue of post-harvest management, especially drying and storage,  to help retain the spice's colour, aroma and flavour, he said."The Spices Board has always evinced keen interest in the promotion of saffron in both domestic and international markets, particularly in food, beverage, cosmaceutical, perfumeries and other segments to enhance the consumption through trade delegations, participation in international exhibitions and buyer-seller meets,” he said.

Jayathilak said the Spices Board is promoting the setting up of common mini-processing facilities and value addition units by farmer groups to improve the marketability of saffron in the saffron-growing areas. "We have recently supported a producer group in Pampore by providing `15 lakh as grant-in-aid towards 75 per cent of the cost of machinery and equipment for setting up mini-processing and value addition unit,” he said.

Steps on to secure GI tag 

The Spices Board and the Jammu and Kashmir Government are trying to get GI tag for the high quality saffron produced in the state. This will help to get global recognition.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com