Iranian saffron and the problem of not having a brand
The importance of saffron in Iran can be assessed from various aspects such as low need for water compared to other agricultural products, job creation and preventing the migration of villagers, as well as the livelihood of more than 400,000 people. At present, Iran has about 230 tons of world production of this product. Iran’s saffron exports have a 70% share in the value of exports of this product worldwide, 2.6% of the total value of Iran’s agricultural exports and 1% of the total value of the country’s non-oil exports in recent years, and therefore this important spice as an important export product The country’s agriculture has a high value.
As the makers of this important product say, today it is very important to pay attention to the packaging and grading of the product in domestic and foreign markets and while identifying the factors affecting the packaging of saffron, their problems and shortcomings should be identified and eliminated because some international intermediaries , Saffron is sold in bulk to some countries in the Persian Gulf (mainly the UAE) or European countries (mainly Spain), and those countries, after packaging, offer it in world markets and gain high added value.
In this regard, researchers from Torbat-e Heydarieh University have conducted a study in which the factors affecting saffron exports with emphasis on brand and packaging have been studied.
To conduct this study, the researchers prepared a specialized questionnaire in which 36 sub-criteria were considered in the three main groups of production, export and processing. This questionnaire was then provided to saffron technical experts to obtain the data needed for research. These data were then analyzed using scientific methods.
Based on the results of this study, processing, export and production ranked first to third in terms of the importance of influencing the exchange rate of saffron, respectively. Also, the most important criterion affecting processing was the lack of a national brand (lack of brand), the most important criterion affecting the amount of exports, saffron fraud and the most important criterion affecting the production was the individual work of saffron growers (lack of suitable cooperatives).
In this regard, Fatemeh Rastegaripour, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics and researcher at the Saffron Research Institute of Torbat-e Heydarieh University and her colleague say: Saffron income is at the top among agricultural products and it can be said that saffron is one of the most important Iranian exports. It is very different from other competitors, but in this sector, the country receives less foreign exchange earnings.
The results of our study showed that the most important and basic indicator affecting the exchange rate of saffron is processing, which was studied in two groups of packaging and brand. In terms of processing, some things are important, such as registering a national brand as a symbol and recognition of Iranian saffron in the international community.
They add: Also in the field of saffron packaging, compliance with international standards, shape of packaging, customer taste, beautiful design and customer-friendly is important, and in the field of saffron products can be said using knowledge-based companies and research projects in government and Private can produce valuable products and multiply the exchange rate of saffron.
According to the findings of the above research, another sub-branch of processing is the discussion of advertising and presence in the international arena, which many experts and technical experts have emphasized and believe that there will not be much profit until the Iranian saffron product is introduced to the world. . In this regard, influential factors such as lack of coherent organization in the purchase, sale, distribution and packaging, unknown characteristics and processing of saffron for the people of the world, lack of skilled and educated labor in the field of production and marketing and barriers to entry of machinery and materials They are also effective in processing and packaging (reducing processing costs).
Rastegaripour and his research colleagues believe: The second indicator is the small amount of saffron exports, one of the sub-indicators of which is fraud and abuse of profiteers in the export sector. In the export sector, this criterion is one of the most challenging factors. Therefore, eliminating unauthorized traders and exporters and preventing low-quality exports, as well as paying attention to export target markets and investing in new markets, as well as knowledge of domestic and international supply and demand markets, certainly Economic prosperity will be achieved in the saffron currency sector.
According to the researchers conducting this study: The third indicator affecting the exchange rate of saffron is production. This sector may be less important than the processing and export sectors, but neglecting production causes some problems such as saffron onion smuggling to other countries and saffron farmers working alone due to lack of cooperatives, as well as farmers’ reluctance to produce and thus reduce The area under cultivation is reduced and production is reduced.
The above researchers have made suggestions in order to overcome the existing problems in this regard. According to them, government policies should be designed to make this product competitive, and the use of proper mechanized and planned cultivation methods should replace traditional methods.
Also, according to their proposal, the government should take steps to reduce processing costs and to create a national saffron brand, monitor saffron fraud and eliminate brokers, use the correct methods of mechanized cultivation and establish saffron growers’ cooperatives and create a coherent organization for saffron purchase, distribution and packaging. Take an important. The above findings have been published in the Journal of Saffron Research belonging to Birjand University.
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