Xinhua: Afghanistan’s Ministry for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation is predicting that the country could harvest 24 tons saffron in current year as more lands have been cultivated with the valuable plant, a local media outlet reported Wednesday. Click here to read more (external link).
Phys.org: The spice is being exported to 17 countries through new air corridors, mainly to China, India, and the Gulf countries, and to a lesser extent to the European Union and North America, says the agriculture ministry “Afghanistan’s saffron, based on its organic nature, it is better than other saffron in the world,” claimed Abdul Shukoor
1TV: Afghan government has banned import of saffron to encourage to domestic production. The ban was announced by the country’s ministry of agriculture, irrigation and livestock which said that it had requested the ban from President Ashraf Ghani who approved it. Click here to read more (external link).
Reuters: Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, selling for as much as $1,200-$1,800 a kilogram, and has long been seen as an alternative crop to opium poppies for poor farmers in a country struggling with the legacy of decades of war and lawlessness. So far, it has had little impact on the opium
Tolo News: Afghan saffron has for the third year in a row been rated as the best in the world. The International Taste and Quality Institute in Brussels ranked Afghan saffron as having the best taste and quality amongst 300 samples from different countries, news agencies reported. The Institute was founded in 2003 in Brussels