Harvesting Gold: Afghan women cultivate hope from saffron strands

Kabul, June 13 (EFE).– Cultivation of saffron, the “red gold” and economic powerhouse in Afghanistan’s Herat province, has become a symbol of resilience, driven by Afghan women excluded by the Taliban’s gender apartheid.

Sold in national markets for more than 120,000 Afghanis ($1,690) per kilogram, the spice, also known as “red gold,” is one of the most expensive in the world, surpassing even top-quality vanilla pods and cardamom.

Each flower produces only three threads, meaning that approximately 75,000 flowers are needed to extract half a kilogram of the spice.

“Over 80 percent of the Saffron harvest activities are performed by women,” deputy director of the Afghan Saffron Union Abdullah Sadat told EFE, highlighting the importance of the industry as one of the few employment opportunities for Afghan women, who are barred from much of social life by the Taliban.

Working in the harvest, besides keeping women away from public spaces, is a type of occupation that, according to Afghan trader Roida Azizi, does not require intense physical activity and allows them to secure their own sources of income.

Although the majority of the world’s saffron production comes from Iran, and some of the most popular from Indian Kashmir, Herat’s saffron was recognized last week with three stars, the highest possible, at the 2024 Superior Taste Award from the International Taste Institute of Belgium.

The award went to the brand Afghan Saffron, cultivated in Herat and managed by an Afghan-origin migrant in the United States.

According to the Afghan Saffron Association, the country exports between 35 and 60 tons of this spice annually.

In 2023 alone, nearly 30 tons worth $35 million were exported to India, Saudi Arabia, Europe, Canada, the United States, and other countries.

This year, the de facto government of the Taliban expects to harvest around 50 tons, according to the agriculture ministry.

The emphasis on saffron production in Afghanistan has coincided with a 95 percent drop in opium poppy cultivation, which was one of the highest-yielding income sources until the Taliban came to power in 2021 and initiated their campaign to eradicate these crops.

According to a report published last year by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), farmers in Afghanistan’s four main provinces had to switch to other types of production such as wheat and saffron.

Amanullah Alokozai, a 65-year-old farmer from Herat province, who views saffron as his primary source of income, said the high quality saffron was possible due to a clean climate, suitable soil, and river water from mountainous sources.

“The availability of hard worker human resources who process the crop naturally by hands also leads to Afghanistan saffron being pure and organic,” he said.

According to Alokozai, the reason behind the expansion of saffron cultivation in Afghanistan is that the crop “needs no water for irrigation in the summer,” an important factor given Afghanistan’s drought conditions.

“It is easy to transport due to its low weight, and it creates jobs for villagers during the unemployment season (October and November),” he said.

According to the Afghanistan agriculture ministry, more than 43 private firms operate in the saffron production industry, including processing and marketing.

The ministry says that saffron is grown in 26 provinces of the country, but nearly 90 percent of the crop is harvested in Herat. EFE

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