CSIR-IHBT, agri dept ink MoU to promote saffron, 'hing'

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, June 7

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT), Palampur, and Department of Agriculture, Himachal Pradesh, today, to promote cultivation of saffron and ‘hing’.

Sanjay Kumar, Director, CSIR-IHBT and RK Koundal, Director, Department of Agriculture, Himachal Pradesh, along with NK Dhiman, Additional Director of Agriculture, (North Zone), Rakesh Kumar and Ashok Kumar, scientists of CSIR-IHBT and PI of the project, signed the agreement.

As per the agreement, CSIR- IHBT and the Department of Agriculture, joined hands for strategic as well as implementation partnership, based on principles of mutual strengths and benefits to increase farm income, promote livelihood and rural development in the state through transfer of innovations by means of capacity building, skill development and other extension activities of prospective farmers and officers of the Agriculture Department in the area of saffron and ‘hing’ cultivation.

Sanjay said saffron and ‘hing’ were valuable spices and widely used in Indian cuisines. In India, the annual demand for saffron spice was 100 tonnes per year, but its average production was about 6-7 tonnes. Hence, a large amount of the spice was being imported.

Sanjay also said there was no production of ‘hing’ in the country and currently around 1,200 metric tonnes of raw ‘hing’ worth Rs 600 crore was being imported from Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan. The CSIR-IHBT introduced six accessions of ‘hing’ from Iran through NBPGR, New Delhi, and standardised its production protocols under Indian conditions.

The CSIR-IHBT will provide the technical know-how to farmers, impart training to the state agriculture department officers and farmers, set up of corm and seed production centres of saffron and ‘hing’, respectively, in the state. A total of 750 acres will be covered under these crops in the state in the next five years.

The Director of the state agriculture department said the project would enhance the livelihood of farmers and benefit the state and the country.