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Focus
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| Harvesting
Red Gold in Afghanistan |
Najib
Malik and M. Hashem Aslami
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ICARDA’s saffron program, funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID), is run jointly with the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, and other partners under the RALF Program: the Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (DACAAR, a consortium of Danish NGOs), Washington State University, and Catholic Relief Services.
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sweet smell of profit Saffron comes from the purple saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), which blooms only for two or three weeks in autumn. Each flower carries three reddish-orange stigmas. The flowers are picked by hand, the stigmas are removed, dried, and sold. It takes 150,000 flowers, and over 400 hours of labor, to produce a single kilogram of dried saffron. Saffron is available in filament form (intact stigmas) or as powder. Powder is much cheaper, but also easier to adulterate. Saffron is used in cooking as a seasoning and coloring agent. Formerly, it was also used as a fabric dye, in perfumes, and in herbal medicine; modern science is beginning to rediscover some of these medicinal properties. Annual global production is around 300 tons, of which Iran produces over 90%. In the West, high-quality saffron retails for well over US$ 11,000 per kilogram. |
Cost and revenue data collected from farmers in Pashtun Zarghun in Herat province indicate that saffron gives far higher returns than most crops, including poppy. It does not compete for irrigation and labor with other crops because the cropping seaon is different. And it requires only two irrigations, which is ideal for farmers with small landholdings and little access to water.
On the other hand, saffron needs long-term commitment. The bulbs remain in the soil throughout the year, for several years. Despite the large potential profits, some farmers will be unwilling to tie up their fields for long periods, especially for a relatively new crop. Another challenge is that most farmers cannot afford the large initial investment to buy flower bulbs – government support will be needed.
Labor is another issue. Family labor is not always sufficient, and paid labor is expensive. Even so, interest is growing rapidly and government agencies are unable to supply enough bulbs to meet demand.
Strengthening capacity
A project survey in Herat province showed that over 80% of farmers grow at least small quantities of saffron every year, for household use. About 1100 farmers in Afghanistan grow saffron today, but only 700 produced it for sale in 2006. To encourage more market-oriented production, the project addresses various issues: quality, production methods, marketing, and training.
The project has established links with saffron research centers in Iran, which will provide training to Afghan farmers on seeding methods (corm selection), crop management, and harvesting and drying methods. Capacity building efforts also target research and extension staff from Afghan universities and the Ministry’s Provincial Departments.
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Afghan farmers learn the proper method of separating stigmas from flowers. |
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| Mullah Akbar, known as Baba-e-Zafaran (father of saffron), is a pioneer saffron farmer in Pashtun Zarghun district. |
Building a national platform
A national workshop in Herat in November 2006 helped consolidate earlier progress and prepare the ground for further expansion. More than 100 stakeholders (including 21 women) participated: Ministry staff, saffron growers and their associations, corm bank associations, traders, five Afghan universities (Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, Balkh and Paktia), Washington State University, the Ministry of Counter Narcotics, FAO, NGOs, donor agencies, and others.
The conference made 14 recommendations for a national strategy on saffron, agreed upon by producers, government agencies, and ministry representatives. One key output: the National Saffron Coordination and Support Committee was established shortly after the conference, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. The Committee will coordinate the work of different ministries and research institutions on issues such as production, quality standards, import/export regulations, and marketing.
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and saffron Women help in land preparation and planting; and are responsible for collection of flowers, processing and packing. Essentially, Afghanistan’s saffron industry depends on women – which is why many project activities specifically target women. For example, DACAAR has trained over 250 women in improved production and processing methods, held a series of women’s meetings and field days, and established community-level, women-only facilities for drying saffron. Some barriers remain, such as a shortage of women extension specialists. But project results show that promoting saffron is a practical way to empower women in a conservative society – building on their skills and traditional roles, to increase incomes and encourage self-reliance. |
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| Women harvest saffron flowers in Herat province. |
It will be some years before the saffron industry in Afghanistan can compete with – and beat – opium poppy. But the enormous potential, and the enthusiasm of local communities, is reflected in a statement by Najia Latif, a woman farmer from Pashtun Zarghun: “With the money I earned from selling saffron last year, I bought carpets for my home and new clothes for my children. I also bought medicine to treat a serious health problem – I could never afford these things before.”
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| Najib Malik (n.malik@cgiar.org) is RALF Program Manager at ICARDA. Hashem Aslami is NRM Specialist, Herat, Afghanistan. |
© 2008 International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).
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