Turkey to Buy 300Kg of Afghan Saffron

“Several countries have shown willingness to buy Afghan saffron including Turkey which is set to buy about 300kg of the saffron from Afghanistan,” said Akbar Rustami, a spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL).  
Months earlier, the Afghan government has banned the import of saffron to encourage domestic production. The sanction was imposed as the government believes importing and smuggling of saffron from abroad was a major hurdle for saffron development program in the country.
 According to the Ministry of Agriculture, importing saffron was a reason for farmers’ lack of interest to grow the spice.
Some Afghan traders urged the government to make further efforts to facilitate markets for saffron.
“The decrease in exports of Saffron would lead to a drop in the price of the valuable crop,” said Mohammad Shabir Bashiri, CEO of the Afghanistan Industries, Mines and Investments High Council.
Saffron production in Afghanistan, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, has been on a constant rise over the past few years. Currently, Afghan saffron is being exported to the United Arab Emirates, India, and the United States.