Iran Adopts Measures To Boost Support For Saffron Farmers
Iran has adopted special measures to continue support for its saffron farmers, Iranian Deputy Minister of Agricultural Jihad Hossein Shirzad said.
Shirzad, who is also chairman of the Board of the Central Organization for Rural Cooperatives of Iran (CORC), said from the start of saffron harvesting in the current cropping year (started on mid-October), the CORC has succeeded to purchase 39 tones saffron and paid farmers about IR.12 billion.
“In a bit to implement the agricultural ministry’s policy on supporting saffron farmers and the enhancement of sustainable production as well as export revenue, the CORC has been purchasing saffron with the supporting prices set by the ministry,” he added.
With a target-oriented approach to attain maximum efficiency and minimum intervention, the CORC issued technical and practical guidelines for saffron purchasing procedures.
The guidelines have been announced to the South and Razavi Khorasan where are the main hubs of saffron cultivation in Iran. In each province, a working group is formed to monitor implementing the guidelines regarding market regulating of crops including saffron.
Headed by the Chief of provincial agro-organization and other stakeholders, these working groups have developed regional saffron purchasing center.
“The CORC has also determined 18 reference laboratories for quality control and physicochemical analysis of saffron. Based on the results of these analyses, saffron is categorized to All Red, Negin, Pushal and Bunch. Each category is transacted with a distinctive price,” Shirzad noted.
