The Jammu and Kashmir government plans to establish a spice park under the National Saffron Mission (NSM) here as part of efforts to revive the industry in the State.
“A spice park will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 22 crore under the NSM mission here in which growers would have quality control and e-marketing facilities at their doorstep,” the Agriculture Minister, Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir, said at a function here on Wednesday.
Seeking cooperation of the saffron growers, the Minister said the growers need to come forward and take the benefits of NSM, an ambitious project under which Rs 373 crore is being spent up to 2014.
The Minister said the objective of the mission is to revive the saffron cultivation on modern lines by providing the farmers latest technological knowhow, incentives for adopting mechanisation, irrigation and setting up of a spice park with the aim for checking of quality control and on line marketing facilities to the growers at their door step.
“The saffron is the trademark of Kashmiri culture and heritage,” he said, adding, “it is the efforts of the present coalition government that such a comprehensive project has been approved under central funding and it is our obligation to implement the people friendly project in letter and sprit at the ground level.”
Recalling the days when the growers of the area were asking the government to lift the ban on sale of saffron land, the Minister said with the successful beginning of implementation of saffron mission, the growers are now showing enthusiasm in rejuvenation of saffron corms and adopting of mechanisation in saffron cultivation.