KANDAHAR - Daman district, Kandahar - Saffron has been introduced in this southern district in recent months in a pilot project aimed at exploring economic options for farmers as alternatives to poppy crops.

 The world’s most expensive spice by weight, saffron has been used as a seasoning, fragrance, dye and medicine for centuries. Saffron is also used in the preparation of food and drinks and, in ancient times, to treat a wide range of ailments.

The next step is to explore international markets for saffron.

“The cultivation of saffron has been positive, but it is necessary to find markets for the saffron,” said Siraj Ahmad, Daman district Governor. “The Arghandab Irrigation and Reconstruction Project (AIRP) has undertaken to help us discover markets and to establish a specific storage facility which will have a laboratory and packing facilities based on international standards.”

A kilogram of saffron can fetch up to US$ 5,000 on international markets.

Opium production in Afghanistan has flourished since 2001, after reportedly being discouraged under the Taliban regime. The Afghan Government, with support from the international community, is implementing programmes to steer farmers away from the illegal drug trade and towards universally-legal crops, such as grapes, wheat and saffron.

Farmers in Zhary district of Kandahar have already requested local government assistance in providing saffron seeds and fertilizers and undertaken not to revert to poppy cultivation, after the successful pilot project in Daman district.

“If the Government provides saffron seeds and fertilizers we are ready to grow saffron”, farmers from Zhary district told local media.

Local authorities in Kandahar claim that poppy production has decreased significantly in Kandahar province and that more districts are becoming poppy free.

By Mujeeb Rahman, UNAMA