Saffron harvest in Gonabad city decreased by 30%

Saffron harvest in Gonabad city decreased by 30%

Director of Gonabad Agricultural Jihad said: saffron harvest in this city during the current crop year was reduced by 30% compared to last year.

Alireza Hosseinzadeh added: The amount of saffron harvest in Gonabad city has decreased from 12 tons in the last crop year to 10 tons this year.

He continued: The most important factors in reducing saffron harvest in Gonabad during the current crop year, temperature fluctuations in the saffron planting and harvest season, cold and frost damage in late November, which coincides with the saffron flower harvest, as well as pests and diseases of this crop. .

The director of Gonabad Agricultural Jihad said: the sum of these issues and problems has caused 25% damage to saffron production this year and has caused a 30% reduction in the harvest of this product in Gonabad city.

He added: Despite the production of high quality saffron in Gonabad and the global registration of saffron irrigation system based on Gonabad aqueduct in the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), farmers in the region have suffered a lot due to these problems and therefore the Ministry of Agriculture with the cooperation of the organization To prevent this damage, the rural cooperative has purchased guaranteed saffron in two options: high quality straw at a price of 110 million Rials per kilo and high quality gem at a price of 130 million Rials per kilo, and the purchase of saffron is underway in Gonabad shopping center.

Hosseinzadeh continued: Despite the increase in the costs of this product, such as workers’ wages and the price of excellent fertilizers and the price and wages of machines, the price of saffron this year has not been different from last year.

Of the total annual production of about 19,300 tons of horticultural products in Gonabad during the past years, 12 tons was saffron, but this year, due to various issues and problems, 10 tons of saffron was harvested from 3,500 hectares of cultivated land in this city.

34,000 farmers in the agricultural sector of Gonabad, with 20,000 hectares of irrigated fields, 1,700 hectares of rainfed areas and 500,000 head of livestock, annually produce and market 87,000 tons of agricultural, horticultural and livestock products.