Yellowing of saffron farmers in Farooj city in North Khorasan Iran
Saffron is a product with high production value and water efficiency, the development of which is an opportunity to reduce poverty in rural areas and economic prosperity.
For several years, saffron cultivation has flourished in North Khorasan, especially in the city of Farooj, and a large number of farmers have dedicated their agricultural lands to cultivating this crop.
The presence of brokers and the lack of processing industries for this product is one of the problems that saffron farmers in this province have always faced, but this year the shortage of workers and rising workers’ wages have been added to it and now farmers are only forced to harvest their crops.
The wages of the workers who harvested saffron rose above its price
Barzegari, one of the Farooj saffron growers who has dedicated five hectares of his agricultural lands to cultivate this crop, said that the shortage of workers has become one of the current problems of saffron growers in this region. And this has caused a shortage of workers to harvest and clean this product.
He added: The shortage of workers has caused the worker’s wages to increase from the price of saffron flowers, so that a farmer now has to pay 90 to 95 thousand tomans per worker per day.
Barzegari continued: The weather conditions during this year have become such that all saffron flowers bear fruit at once and it demands that saffron flowers be harvested as soon as possible, but the lack of labor has caused the flowers to be harvested. Removed from the ground in two days to remain on the ground for another five days.
He pointed out: the later the saffron flowers are harvested from the ground, the lower the quality, which unfortunately we are worried about the low quality of saffron in this area.
This Farooj farmer stated: in order to harvest saffron as soon as possible, even farmers have been forced to use workers in the northern cities of Iran.
There is no news of government officials supporting the purchase of saffron flowers
Aboutaleb Ghanbarzadeh, another saffron grower in Farooj, pointed to the price of saffron and said: Brokers are present in the area and buy the price of saffron flowers at a low price.
He explained: Several booths have been set up by brokers to buy saffron in this city, and these people provide a figure to buy this product, and they buy saffron for about 14 to 30 thousand tomans until the hour, then from the hour 14 Then they close the door of the booth and announce that the purchasing capacity is full and the farmer is forced to sell his product to this dealer at a much lower price.
Ghanbarzadeh added: There have been farmers who have been forced to sell saffron flowers at a price of 9,000 Tomans.
Regarding the agreed purchase, he also stated: So far, no official has taken action to buy saffron in this city, and now only brokers buy saffron flowers at the price they want.
The farmer continued: On the other hand, saffron flowers are delivered to the broker, but there is no news of payment, so that last year the farmers’ money was paid after two to three days, but now the broker receives the flower and specifies It is not when he pays the farmers.
Referring to the shortage of workers and the rising cost of their wages, he said: In the past, the cost of cleaning each kilogram of saffron was 10 to 15 thousand tomans, which has now reached 25 thousand tomans.
The Agricultural Jihad Organization makes a sponsored purchase of saffron, not an agreed purchase
Mohammad Javad Tashkari, Deputy Director of Crop Production Improvement of North Khorasan Jihad Agricultural Organization, stated that the area under saffron cultivation in North Khorasan has increased 10 times, said: In the past, the area under cultivation of this crop was about 380 hectares, which has now reached 3,800 hectares .
He emphasized: the cultivation of this product is of special importance in terms of having a high economic advantage and on the other hand, the amount of water consumption in it is low.
A farmer must pay attention to the cultivation of the crop so that he can manage it at harvest time, Tashkari said.
He added: This year, the increase in the area under cultivation of this product is due to the fact that its price was high last year, and on the other hand, the loading of all saffron flowers together has caused us to face a severe labor problem.
The official said that the organization has a program to support the program, not the agreed purchase of saffron, on its agenda, adding that the Jihad Agricultural Organization buys the cleaned saffron from the farmer as a support and now the farmers are in the process of harvesting flowers. When the saffron product is supplied with the necessary standards, the organization will enter as a support purchase.
The shortage of workers has caused the flowers to be picked later and there is concern about the quality of the crop, he said. It is recommended that farmers clean the harvested flowers as soon as possible so that the quality does not deteriorate.
Tashkari further pointed out: the costs of a saffron work in the first year of cultivation of this product is high and will be profitable in the following years, the problems that have occurred this year will reduce their profit margin a little, but will not harm the farmer. Be.
Get Social