Beginning of saffron harvest from 4300 hectares in North Khorasan
Red gold harvesting started from 4,300 hectares of fields in North Khorasan, which is expected to produce 21 tons of produce.
The director of horticultural affairs of the North Khorasan Jihad Agricultural Organization stated: This province ranks third among the provinces of the country in terms of saffron cultivation and production.
Mohammad Ali Sharikian added: It is predicted that saffron harvest in the current crop year will increase by 10% compared to last year.
He said: The average yield of saffron production in this province is 6.2 kg per hectare, which is about twice the national average.
Partner said: Saffron is a low-expectation and economically productive plant that is suitable for cultivation in arid and semi-arid regions and the time of need for seasonal water is that other crops do not need water or at least do not face the problem of water shortage.
He stated: Iran has 90% of the cultivated area and 89% of saffron production.
He added: Razavi Khorasan and South Khorasan are ranked first and second in the country, respectively, while North Khorasan is ranked third in the country.
The director of horticultural affairs of the North Khorasan Jihad-e-Agriculture Organization said: Saffron is cultivated in eight cities of the province, and Farooj ranks first.
Partners added: suitable climatic conditions, adaptation, low water needs, good performance and economic income, upgrading the technical knowledge of saffron growers and ease of maintenance are important factors in the development of this export product in the province.
He said: saffron cultivation and production creates good employment so that each hectare of saffron in the stages of planting, holding and harvesting and processing, creates a direct job and about 180 to 200 indirect and seasonal jobs.
He said: The economic value of saffron production in this province is 1,800 billion rials, which includes 17% of the total value of horticultural products.
He added: the possibility of removing and replacing water gardens with saffron, ease of mechanized cultivation and high economic value, ease of crop maintenance, the existence of five saffron processing and packaging units with an annual capacity of 3.4 tons and the possibility of exporting it including the benefits of cultivation This is a product.
Shrikian said: Supervision and consultation of experts in the stages of planting, holding and harvesting and transferring technical knowledge to farmers, implementation of saffron value chain development plan, distribution of agricultural inputs, supply of cultivation model tools are among the supports of this organization.
He added: lack of mechanized harvesting machines, lack of technical knowledge in the production environment, the possibility of outbreaks of pests and certain diseases due to the rapid development of cultivation, market turmoil and lack of specific export programs, bulk exports and lack of saffron processing, including Problems and concerns of the saffron field in the province.
The area under cultivation of medicinal plants in this province, which includes the cultivation of saffron, rosemary, cumin, peppermint, aloe vera, borage, shallot, thyme, black seed, lemon balm and lemon, has reached 7,000 hectares, which compared to before The beginning of the government of prudence and hope has grown about 3 times.
Last year, 761 kg of saffron worth 74 billion rials out of 158 working saffron in the province was purchased as a support by the Rural Cooperative Organization of the province.
North Khorasan has 344,000 hectares of agricultural land, of which about 47,000 hectares are gardens and the rest is agriculture.
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