Predict a 30% increase in saffron production performance in East Azerbaijan
Ali Rokh Afrooz, Deputy Director of Crop Production Improvement of East Azerbaijan Jihad Agricultural Organization, explains about the province’s situation in saffron production: This year, about 350 hectares of the province’s lands are under saffron cultivation, which is about 20% more than last year. We had, but production performance is expected to increase by nearly 30%.
He adds: Heavy snowfall and cold weather during saffron harvest is a serious threat to the harvest, but this year the weather is excellent and there is no problem in this regard, and even with this type of weather, saffron can be grown in all parts of the province. Cultivated.
He continues: Due to the reduction of groundwater, the Jihad Agricultural Organization of the province has planned to include low-water and economical crops in the pattern of cultivation of the province’s crops, which also contains saffron, because saffron to a minimum It needs water and the field can be irrigated at most twice and when other crops do not need irrigation.
Rokh Afrooz, stating that the average yield of dry saffron production in the country is 3.4 kg per hectare, says: With the efforts of literate and provincial farmers, the average yield of this crop in the province reaches four kg per hectare; The amount of dry saffron production this year is predicted to be above 1400 kg.
Regarding saffron processing, he states: The Rural Cooperative Organization intends to enter the issue of saffron processing and supply to the market and wants to buy and sell in the form of stock exchanges and export this product to different countries.
Regarding the saffron export situation, he says: Before the corona, the export situation was good and it was done in the form of customs and luggage, but after the corona, due to export restrictions, despite the lack of export barriers, exports have decreased.
He notes: Saffron is a mazar product on the country’s production and usually does not have much domestic consumption, so when the product is harvested and marketed simultaneously throughout the country, some try to lower prices and farmers to some extent. If he pays for the expenses, he will be satisfied, but if these farmers wait for three months, the price will definitely go up; This is a principle at harvest time.