According to the ministry, saffron is cultivated in twenty-six provinces of the country, but nearly 90 percent of the country’s saffron is harvested in Herat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Afghan saffron has been recognized as the world’s highest-quality saffron for the ninth time in a global competition by the International Taste Institute based in Belgium.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock say that Afghanistan, the world’s second-largest saffron producer, is expected to harvest nearly fifty tons of saffron this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadr Azam Osmani, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, said: “Afghan products have their own standards in the world, but this is the ninth time that Afghan saffron has secured the first position.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the ministry, saffron is cultivated in twenty-six provinces of the country, but nearly 90 percent of the country’s saffron is harvested in Herat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Herat-based export company represented Afghanistan in this competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Najibullah Rahmati, the head of the saffron export company, said: “We have been working on this for several years with farmers, processors, and on how to dry it properly, and today we have seen the results.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the past year, Afghanistan exported nearly thirty tons of saffron worth thirty-five million dollars to India, Saudi Arabia, and several other countries. Currently, the price of each kilogram of saffron in domestic markets is up to 120,000 Afghani.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mohammad Ibrahim Adel, head of the Afghan Saffron Association, said: “A total of 29,570 kilograms of saffron have been exported in the past eight months to countries like India, Spain, and Saudi Arabia.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to predictions by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, the saffron harvest in Herat is expected to increase to fifty tons this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last year, nearly thirty tons of saffron were harvested in Herat. This year, over eight thousand hectares of land in Herat are being used to grow saffron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n