Herat Hosts Ninth Saffron Festival Amid Export Challenges

Simultaneously with the arrival of the saffron harvest season in Herat, the ninth Saffron Flower Festival has been held in this province.

This year, saffron flowers and saffron are being showcased in one hundred booths at the Herat Department of Agriculture.

The Herat Department of Agriculture and Irrigation stated that saffron production has increased by nearly forty percent compared to last year.

Bashir Ahmad Ahmadi, head of the Promotion Department at the Herat Department of Agriculture and Irrigation, said about Herat’s saffron: “Fortunately, Herat is the capital of Afghanistan’s saffron, with most of the saffron production taking place in this province. Approximately 9,500 hectares of land in Herat are cultivated with saffron. It is predicted that over forty tons of saffron will be produced in Herat this year.”

Local officials in Herat stated that some hidden hands are tampering with Afghanistan’s saffron to offer the country’s red gold to global markets in a low-quality form.

“Powerful entities are working to portray Afghan saffron and other high-ranking products as low-quality. Additionally, they attempt to combine it with other substances, aiming to undermine this major achievement of Afghan farmers,” stated Hayatullah Muhajir Farahi, Deputy Minister for Publications.

“Currently, prices have slightly decreased, ranging from 80,000 to 90,000 Afghanis, but the price per kilogram has reached as high as 130,000 Afghanis, “stated Peer Mohammad Halimi, Head of the Herat Agriculture and Irrigation Department.

Although saffron production has increased in the country, some saffron farmers say that exporting red gold remains a serious issue

 They say that due to challenges within the country’s banking system, receiving payment for saffron exports from various countries has become difficult.

“Most saffron exporters in the country want to secure contracts abroad, but due to difficulties in obtaining visas, they cannot meet with their foreign clients in person,” stated Mohammad Ibrahim Adel, head of the Afghan Saffron Association.

Abdul Khaleq Khudadadi, a saffron farmer, said: “We still face issues transferring money to Afghanistan. Although several banks are connected, they still fail to facilitate money transfers successfully. The biggest challenge in saffron exports is the issue of transferring money for saffron from abroad to Afghanistan.”

Afghan saffron has many buyers in global markets. Afghanistan’s red gold has achieved the top rank worldwide for several consecutive years