ENVIRONMENT: 2016

Kerala Tourism is planning to organize workshops and to participate in fairs, as per the tentative schedule shown below during the FY 2016-17.

#	Trade fairs	Workshop	Country	Dates
1	PATA Travel Mart, Jakarta		Indonesia	07-09 Sep 2016
		Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	20 Sep 2016
2	JATA Tourism Expo, Tokyo		Japan	22-25 Sep 2016
3	ITB Asia		Singapore	19-21 Oct 2016
		Sydney	Australia	25 Oct 2016
		Melbourne	Australia	27 Oct 2016
4	WTM, London		UK	07-09 Nov 2016
		Dublin	Ireland	10 Nov 2016
		Stockholm	Sweden	15 Nov 2016
		Munich	Germany	17 Nov 2016
5	Vakantiebeurs, Utrecht		The Netherlands	11-15 Jan 2017
6	FITUR, Madrid		Spain	18-22 Jan 2017
		Lyon	France	24 Jan 2017
		Rome	Italy	26 Jan 2017
7	ITB, Berlin		Germany	08-12 Mar 2017
		Prague/Budapest	Czech/Hungary	14 Mar 2017
		Barcelona	Spain	16 Mar 2017
8	MITT, Moscow		Russia	14-16 Mar 2017
		St.Petersburg	Russia	20 Mar 2017
		Kiev	Ukraine	22 Mar 2017

The Registration has been closed!https://www.keralatourism.org/international-fair/

http://www.indianspices.com/spice-catalog/saffron
http://www.indianspices.com/spice-catalog/saffron

DESCRIPTION

Saffron, the most expensive spice in the world is derived from the dry stigmata of the plant Crocus Sativus. The plant is a bulbous, perennial with globular corms, 15-20 cm high. It has 6 to 10 leaves present at anthesis, one to two flowers with a lilac-purple colour with perianth segments of 3.5 – 5 cm and style branches of 2.5 – 3.2 cm. The yellow style is deeply divided into three branches and the stigmata are bright red. Flowers are arising directly from the corms. Flowers have tri-lobed stigma, which along with the style tops yield the saffron of commerce.

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

Saffron is a native of Southern Europe and cultivated in Mediterranean countries, particularly in Spain, Austria, France, Greece, England, Turkey, Iran. In India, it is cultivated in Jammu & Kashmir and in Himachal Pradesh. Saffron thrives best in warm sub-tropical climate. In Spain, it is grown in dry temperate conditions with an annual rainfall below 40 cm. It grows at an elevation of 2000 mtrs MSL. Photoperiod exerts a considerable influence in the flowering of saffron. An optimum period of 11 hours illumination is desirable. Unusually low temperature coupled with high humidity during flowering season affects flowering of the crop. Spring rains boost production of new corms. Slightly acidic to neutral, gravelly, loamy, sandy soils are suitable for saffron cultivation.

USES

Saffron is used as a culinary seasoning and to colour, cottage cheese, chicken and meat, rise, mayonnaise, liquors and cordials. It is also used in speciality breads, cakes, confectionaries, Mughlai dishes. Saffron is also used as a perfume in cosmetics. In medicine saffron is used in fevers, melancholia, and enlargement of liver and spleen. In Ayurvedic medicine it is used to heal arthritis, impotence and infertility. It has wide range of uses in Chinese and Tibetan medicines.

INDIAN NAME OF SPICES

Hindi : Kesar Bengali : Jafran Gujarati : Keshar Kannada : Kumnkuma kesari Kashmiri : Kong Malayalam : Kunkumapoove Marathi : Keshar, Kesara Punjabi : Kesar, Zafran Sanskrit : Keshara, Kunkuma, Aruna, Asra, Asrika Tamil : Kungumapoo Urdu : Zafran

FOREIGN NAME OF SPICES

Spanish : Azafran French : Safran German : Safran Swedish : Saffran Arabic : Zafran Dutch : Saffraan Italian : Zafferano Portuguese : Acofrao Russian : Shafran Japanese : Safuran Chinese : Fan Hung-Hua