New Delhi: Move over Kashmir! Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya are set to be the new ‘saffron bowl’ of the country. North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) under ‘Saffron Bowl’ project has identified few locations in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya for saffron cultivation.
In Arunachal Pradesh, there is a good growth of organic saffron with flowers while in Meghalaya, sample plantations were grown at Cherrapunji, Mawsmai and Lalingtop sites, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh told Lok Sabha today.
Also read: Wild constructions are killing saffron fields in Kashmir
The following sites have been identified in Meghalaya under the said project:
- Barapani,
- Cherrapunji,
- Mawsmai,
- Shillong, and
- Lalingtop.
The total cost of the whole ‘Saffron Bowl Project’ is Rs. 17.68 lakhs for Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. Out of which, a tentative amount of Rs.6.00 lakhs has been earmarked for Barapani (Meghalaya) site.
– global bihari bureau
