Herat producing 90 percent of Afghanistan’s saffron: officials

Bashir Ahmad Ahmadi, acting head of Herat’s agriculture department, on Thursday said during a visit to the 6th Saffron Flower Festival in Herat that the province now produces 90 percent of the country’s award-winning saffron.

“Eight thousand hectares of land in Herat is under saffron cultivation, which has created employment for families in the province,” Ahmadi said.

According to Ahmadi, Herat, as the saffron center of the country, has been able to introduce this plant not only as an alternative crop but also as a strategic economic and employment plant.

Herat officials said 42 associations and more than 53 companies are active in the production and processing of saffron, and 20,000 families work in the saffron sector – a sector that has been key to creating jobs in the province.

On the other hand, Bashir Ahmad Rashidi, head of the Saffron Workers’ Union of Afghanistan, expressed satisfaction with the growth of this international commodity in the country and the involvement of farmers. He called for cooperation of local officials and relevant institutions in controlling and monitoring saffron exports.

Rashidi says that currently one kilogram of pure saffron is sold on the Herat market, for between 30,000 Afghanis and 40,000.

Meanwhile, a number of saffron growers who have displayed their saffron flowers at the festival expressed their enthusiasm over the growing industry in the province.