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Indian PM Narendra Modi praises launch of Kashmiri saffron in Dubai

Dubai - Kashmiri saffron is widely used in Arab culinary dishes and is also known to have medicinal properties

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised an initiative by food traders in Dubai to promote Geographical Indication (GI) Tagged Kashmiri Saffron in the UAE.

On Sunday, Modi in his monthly radio address to Indian citizens known as, Mann ki Baat, which loosely translates as, “Thoughts from the Mind”, said, “You will be delighted to know that after obtaining the GI Tag Certificate, Kashmiri Saffron was launched in a supermarket in Dubai. Now its exports will get a boost.”

It was unveiled in the markets of the UAE during the two-day UAE-India Food Security Summit 2020, held in Dubai from December 8-9.

The Indian Prime Minister further opined, “Kashmiri saffron is globally famous as a spice that has many medicinal properties. It has a strong aroma, its color is deep dark and its threads are long and thick which enhances its medicinal value.”

Dubai’s Al Maya Group is promoting the GI-Tagged Kashmiri Saffron.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Kamal Vachani, Partner and Group Director, Al Maya Group, said, “We are very excited that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a mention of us in his radio address to Indian citizens. Saffron is widely used in Indian and Arabic dishes and we are very happy to be selling this Kashmiri Saffron in our stores.”

According to the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), “A Geographical Indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.”