Srinagar, March 7 -- Saffron, the golden crop of Kashmir, is getting a new lease of life thanks to the National Mission for Saffron and the latest spice park established in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.

The National Saffron Mission--a centrally-funded Rs.410-crore project--was launched in 2010 to rejuvenate saffron cultivation in Kashmir.

Agriculture minister Javed Ahmad Dar informed the house that the National Mission on Saffron has made significant advancements, particularly strengthening of the irrigation system, rejuvenating 2,548.75 hectares of Saffron land area and halting the decline in area under this crop, which remains at 3,715 hectares (3665 Ha in Kashmir division and 50 Ha in Kishtwar) since 2010-11, with more areas iden...