Centre aims at expansion of saffron cultivation in northeast: Official

SHILLONG: The Centre is eyeing expansion of saffron cultivation in the northeastern states of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya in collaboration with state governments to improve farm income, an official said.

Saffron is a costly spice fetching a minimum of Rs 3.5 lakh per kilogramme and is rich in bioactive compounds with therapeutic properties.

The North East Center for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR), an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, brought a good quantity of saffron seeds for the pilot project from producer groups in Kashmir in 2020.

The seeds were distributed to 64 farmers in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Mizoram as part of a trial and the yield in terms of Saffron seeds and flowers was above average in the pilot project, NECTAR director general Arun Sarma said.

The pilot project for the cultivation of saffron found that the soil and climatic conditions of certain parts of the North East are suitable for cultivation of saffron, the official said.