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Ladakh Begins Saffron Cultivation as a Pilot in Leh
খবরে কেন?
Saffron in a cold desert? Ladakh's Leh pilot and the GI-tagged Kashmir saffron facts GS-III cropping questions need
A pilot saffron project has started at Spituk Pharka in Leh with about 90,000 corms.
Why it matters: factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 মিনিট
Saffron cultivation began in Ladakh as a pilot project in Leh district, with about 90,000 premium Iranian saffron corms, weighing 800 kg, planted over 4,000 square metres at Spituk Pharka.
Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena announced the planting.
সূত্র: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
মূল তথ্য
Remember these
- Pilot saffron cultivation has begun at Spituk Pharka in Leh district, Ladakh
- About 90,000 premium Iranian saffron corms, weighing 800 kg, were planted
- The planting covers 4,000 square metres
- Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena announced the planting
- Saffron (Crocus sativus) is propagated through corms; Kashmir saffron from Pampore holds a GI tag (2020)
প্রিলিমস · মেইনস
How the exam will ask it
প্রিলিমস
- Saffron is obtained from the stigma of Crocus sativus flowers and is propagated through corms rather than seeds.
- Traditionally, saffron in India is grown in Jammu and Kashmir, with Pampore as its best-known centre; Kashmir saffron has a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
- Ladakh, a cold desert region, is now being tried for saffron through a pilot project in Leh district.
মেইনস
GS-III (Agriculture): diversifying cropping patterns in fragile, high-altitude cold deserts. Issue: saffron output is concentrated in a few Kashmir pockets and India relies on imports. Policy: pilot trials with quality corms test climatic and soil suitability before scale-up. Way forward: scientific monitoring, farmer training, water-efficient practices and market linkages and branding to turn the pilot into sustainable livelihoods.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
The Chenab Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, forms part of which railway project?
- Konkan Railway
- Dedicated Freight Corridor
- Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link
- Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail
উত্তর দেখুন
উত্তর: C — Correct: Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link — The Chenab Bridge is a key structure of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) in Jammu and Kashmir. • Konkan Railway — wrong: The Konkan Railway runs along the western coast between Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka, far from the Chenab. • Dedicated Freight Corridor — wrong: The Dedicated Freight Corridors are freight-only routes linking industrial regions and do not include the Chenab Bridge. • Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail — wrong: The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail is a bullet-train project in western India, not in Jammu and Kashmir.
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