Saffron uproots poppies on farms in Afghanistan

[XemaSab]

Source: SF Chronicle

Haji Abdul Ghayoum squats over a plant that pushes a magnificent rainbow of color up from cracked soil. The 42-year-old farmer runs his weathered hands through the green leaves and purple petals. Next, he fingers the red stigmas - thread-like filaments that are changing this part of the world.

In an effort to eradicate opium production, the Afghan government, international aid groups and private businesses are distributing saffron crocus bulbs to farmers in this region along the Iran border. The farmers say their new crop is better suited to their religious beliefs (Islam prohibits the use and sale of illicit drugs) and, ultimately, is more profitable.

Worldwide demand for Afghan saffron is rising, and the price has doubled in the past year to an average of $1,360 per pound - or roughly 38 times what poppy farmers in the southern part of the country earn.

Saffron is coveted not only as a spice - it's one of the world's most expensive - but as a fabric dye and perfume. It also has medicinal potential - in recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has identified saffron as a cancer suppressant, fueling even more demand for the crop.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/01/MNA415A7UB.DTL

[paulsby]

1. and it is a favorite

ingredient of top chef ilan!

:)

'nuff said.

even though i think marcel got robbed.

ROBBED I TELL YA!

[davidwparker]

5. is it Top Chef season again? I've only been watching KO, Rachael, and CSPAN

[paulsby]

12. Season just ended

actually, last week.

Josea won.

I was rooting for Stefan, the incredibly arrogant european guy.

Stefan won like 10 challenges but when it came down to the final one, Josea edged him out.

I also really liked Carla, but she screwed the pooch in the finale.

It's the only "reality" show i watch. i'm very into food.

[notadmblnd]

17. The finali was last week.

you should be able to view the entire season now over and A&E.

[davidwparker]

20. thanks. I will look for it there.

[roguevalley]

37. it is the damned thing to pick. work an hour and have a teaspoon of solid gold

good for them!

[Gore1FL]

2. I'm just wild about saffron. Safron's wild about me. n/t

[ConcernedCanuk]

25. Donovan, Mellow Yellow - yeah - I'm that old - I remember

.
.
.

:thumbsup:

[No Elephants]

40. Donvan = Father of Ione Skye and therefore, at one time, the FIL of head Beastie Boy, Adam Horowitz.

[tanyev]

3. Brilliant.

I finally bought some saffron when a grocery store close to me was going out of business and they had it at 50% off. I can't wait to try cooking with it.

[mitchtv]

19. try with some basmati rice

the best. That's when i got mine , every year they have a half price sale ,

[davidwparker]

4. Good for them. Plant more saffron!

[badgerpup]

33. Simple to grow your own...

These fall-blooming crocus (crocus sativus) are so easy to grow...and they've got a lovely, subtle scent too.

The reason saffron is so damn expensive is that it MUST be harvested by hand, and there's not a lot of output per bulb- 3-5 teeny little stamens per flower, per year.
It's worth it to grow your own if you've got some space...

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/910891-product.html

http://www.dutchbulbs.com/store/crocus/fallblooming/10326
(I've ordered stuff from these guys, and they're a good company ;) :thumbsup:

http://growingtaste.com/herbs/saffron.shtml

http://www.willowcreekgardens.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=390

:hi: Happy Gardening!

[Overseas]

42. Thanks for the useful info on saffron.

I wondered why it was so expensive. Now I know, saffron spice is just the few stamens per flower.

[davidwparker]

44. thanks for this information. I may add this to the list. If we can get the

economy turned around, I know someone who can build raised beds for gardening. I may ask her to give me a quote so that I can grow my own vegetables. I love to cook, but don't have my own potager.

[glinda]

6. Great idea

[State the Obvious]

7. Pomegranates are replacing opium production too.

Very healthy fruit..... and in demand

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27829614/

[acmavm]

8. So, someone finally did something intelligent. I hope these guys flourish.

Except the warlords will horn in on this too. Especially since it's so profitable.

[TlalocW]

10. Well...

He who controls the spice, etc. etc.

TlalocW

[wickerwoman]

21. LOL

:loveya:

Haven't seen a great Dune reference for ages.

I'm so glad someone finally came up with a workable solution for Afghan farmers. I'll have to try some more saffron recipes next week.

[bluesmail]

9. Saffron is a very costly spice, indeed! Good for them and good for us. eom

[acmavm]

11. No shitskis. That's what I asked for (and got) for Christmas.

[Burma Jones]

13. So Make Paella

Damned good stuff......

[OwnedByFerrets]

14. It all goes back to Three Cups of Tea....always.

[Kittycat]

15. I :heart: saffron.

[slipslidingaway]

16. That's great and another product...

a little expensive, makes a nice gift, lasts a long time and the Anisette smells wonderful.


This is just one site, other sites sell it as well.
http://www.realgreengoods.com/products.php?cat=130



http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/02222008/transcript2.html

"BILL MOYERS: And yet you're still there trying to make soap.

SARAH CHAYES: Yeah.

BILL MOYERS: Yeah. How's the co-op doing?

SARAH CHAYES: The co-op is doing great. It's doing incredible. We are flooded with demand. We can't produce up to the demand.

BILL MOYERS: For the soap, you make.

SARAH CHAYES: For the soap, which we export to the U.S. and Canada."

[MasonJar]

18. Perfect solution to a monster of a problem.

[Canuckistanian]

22. Somebody was using their head for more than a hatrack

Bloody brilliant. The only problem is marketing Afghani Saffron.

I'd buy 1/8 ounce or two if I ever saw it in my local supermarket.

[kimmylavin]

23. What a great idea!

See what happens when people use their heads???

[Xipe Totec]

24. Saffron is worth more than gold by weight

Good move.

[ooglymoogly]

27. However it is like weighing eiderdown.

and a tiny bit gives a lot of flavor to say nothing of the magical color it imparts to rice.

[Xipe Totec]

28. It is my favorite spice

Spanish Paella is nothing without it.

:hi:

[Sarah Ibarruri]

26. This is wonderful!! nt

[NBachers]

29. Great! Now we'll have to bail out the paraquat industry

Maybe we can make money selling short on Agent Orange



"You human... paraquat!"

[Jackpine Radical]

30. A solution that Bucky Fuller would have loved.

[Festivito]

31. Do addictive drugs only grow while Repugs are in office?

Afghanistan won an award for not growing drug plants just before 9/11.

Then, they grew large amounts of drug plants, all the while ** was in office.

Now, Obama is in office, and they start growing fruits and spices.

Hmmmm.

Wasn't Iran-Contra using drug money? Yes, it was. Another Bush, another recession, another war, another drug scandal.

[nichomachus]

46. It's the only time we need to be drugged n/t

[Fridays Child]

32. Beautiful flower (photo)

[Historic NY]

34. ahhhhhh I can smell it. I use medicine more than this spice..

maybe it will be worth having something that they can sell for a higher price than opium.

[EC]

35. I love saffron,so expensive though...

maybe price will go down with increases in product...

The Food Channel can say they helped save them since I've noticed more cooks on there using saffron...

[JCMach1]

36. Saffron is the bomb... I use it all the time here...

We tend to get high-quality Iranian saffron that you would never see in the states.

The best part is that I get get a whole jar for what you pay for a couple of pinches :)

So much so that I regularly add it to my tea...

[JerseygirlCT]

38. Excellent!

Sounds like a win-win in a part of the world where there's been very little winning.

[jmowreader]

39. What's the profit margin on saffron?

Saffron is extremely labor intensive, so I hope even at $1360 per pound there's enough profit in this crop to get them away from poppies.

The advantage is, because it IS so labor intensive, they're not likely to see armed insurgents come in to take over the fields just before harvest, like you sometimes see with poppy.

I figured the only way you'd get these guys away from growing poppy is if you found a crop that makes them even more money per acre. I never thought of saffron, but it would definitely qualify.

[druidity33]

43. opium production

is extremely labor intensive too. Every plant must be scored by hand to exude resin. Then, after time, every bulb must be scraped by hand to remove the resin. All resin is collected and then further processed. At least for Saffron, you just pick it and it's done.

:shrug:

[jmowreader]

45. I wonder which is more labor intensive

I just hope that after a couple years Saffron production, the growers don't decide opium was more profitable and go back to it.

[Qutzupalotl]

41. Good. Let's hope it stays profitable while the supply increases.

It's such a hard plant to harvest and process, you'd think the demand would always outpace supply (but you never know). People have come to accept high prices for saffron, so maybe a price war will never happen.