عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Saudi Education, Foreign Ministries Launch Study Visa for International Students

"Study in Saudi Arabia" platform
"Study in Saudi Arabia" platform
TT
TT

Saudi Education, Foreign Ministries Launch Study Visa for International Students

"Study in Saudi Arabia" platform
"Study in Saudi Arabia" platform

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have jointly launched the Study Visa Issuance Service on the "Study in Saudi Arabia" platform.

The service is intended for international students who wish to study in the Kingdom and was launched in the presence of Education Minister Yousef Al-Benyan.
The initiative was launched during the "Human Capacity Initiative" conference that took place in Riyadh on February 28 and 29. The conference was held under the patronage of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Human Capacity Development Program Committee.
The new visa service aims to facilitate the visa issuance process for international students. The platform aims to achieve integration between the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and related sectors.
The "Study in Saudi Arabia" platform provides a range of services that contribute to providing educational options for students who wish to study in Saudi Arabia. The platform aims to enhance the Kingdom's role as a global educational destination. It enables international students to submit applications for admission to Saudi universities with ease and also provides short-term academic, training, and research programs, as well as long-term educational opportunities within a modern and distinguished educational environment.
The platform also aims to enhance academic and cultural cooperation and to fulfill the Kingdom's Vision 2030 by developing the education sector and attracting talent and competencies to Saudi Arabia.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Kashmir’s Saffron Growers Experiment with Indoor Farming as Climate Pressures Mount

Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)
Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)
TT
TT

Kashmir’s Saffron Growers Experiment with Indoor Farming as Climate Pressures Mount

Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)
Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)

Tucked in a valley beneath the snow-capped Himalayas of the Indian Kashmir region is the town of Pampore, famed for its farms that grow the world's most expensive spice - the red-hued saffron.

This is where most of saffron is farmed in India, the world's second-largest producer behind Iran of the spice, which costs up to 325,000 rupees ($3,800) a kg (2.2 pounds) because it is so labor-intensive to harvest.

Come October, the crocus plants begin to bloom, covering the fields with bright purple flowers from which strands of fragrant red saffron are picked by hand, to be used in foods such as paella, and in fragrances and cloth dyes.

"I am proud to cultivate this crop," said Nisar Ahmad Malik, as he gathered flowers from his ancestral field.

But, while Malik has stuck to traditional farming, citing the "rich color, fragrance and aroma" of his produce through the years, some agrarian experts have been experimenting with indoor cultivation of the crop as global warming fears increase.

About 90% of India's saffron is produced in Kashmir, of which a majority is grown in Pampore, but the small town is under threat of rapid urbanization, according to the Indian Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).

Experts say rising temperatures and erratic rainfall pose a risk to saffron production, which has dropped from 8 metric tons in the financial year 2010-11 to 2.6 metric tons in 2023-24, the federal government told parliament in February, adding that efforts were being made to boost production.

One such program is a project to help grow the plant indoors in a controlled environment in tubes containing moisture and vital nutrients, which Dr. Bashir Ilahi at state-run Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences said has shown good results.

"Growing saffron in a controlled environment demonstrates temperature resistance and significantly reduces the risk of crop failure," said Ilahi, standing in his laboratory between stacks of crates containing tubes of the purple flower.

Ilahi and other local experts have been helping farmers with demonstrations on how to grow the crocus plant indoors.

"It is an amazing innovation," said Abdul Majeed, president of Kashmir's Saffron Growers Association, some of whose members, including Majeed, have been cultivating the crop indoors for a few years.

Manzoor Ahmad Mir, a saffron grower, urged more state support.

"The government should promote indoor saffron cultivation on a much larger scale as climate change is affecting the entire world, and Kashmir is no exception," Mir said.