The Tata Consumer Products Limited has purchased 45 kgs of fresh saffron flowers, a significant first for Kashmir saffron marketing.
With its corporate headquarters in Mumbai, Tata Consumer Products is an Indian fast-moving consumer goods company that also produces tea with natural Saffron flavour.
The Director Agriculture Kashmir, Chowdhary Mohammad Iqbal, said Tata Consumers Products Limited collected 45 kg of saffron flowers for processing and collection at the International Kashmir Saffron Trade Centre (IIKSTC) in Pampore, south Kashmir.
In his visit to IIKTC, Chowdhary observed Tata Consumer Products Limited’s procurement process.
The Director Agriculture was briefed on saffron flower picking operations, various interventions by the department, and the latest technology adopted by the saffron growers.
In his remarks, Director Agriculture said that the IIKSTC was established by the department to facilitate pre- and post-harvest marketing of saffron.
The director said that saffron farmers should adopt the latest technologies in order to increase production and ensure quality. The importance of GI tagging of saffron has increased, he said.
With GI tagging of Kashmir saffron and online marketing facilities at IIKSTC, buyers and sellers can trade easily and saffron growers have many market options.
Kashmir saffron is of much higher quality than that from other countries, according to him. It is the responsibility of the concerned officers to ensure that the benefits of this unique quality of Kashmir saffron reach the saffron farmers who produce it.
