The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has revealed that the total value of saffron exports in 1402 AH reached a staggering $49 million, with the majority of exports which send to countries such as India, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United States, Indonesia, and Turkey.
Abdulsalam Jawad, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, attributed the success of Afghanistan’s saffron exports to its high quality, which has earned it a strong reputation in the global market. “Afghanistan’s saffron has a good market in the world due to its high quality,” Jawad said.
Economic experts have welcomed saffron as a permanent alternative to poppy cultivation and have called on authorities to invest more in marketing and promoting the crop. Shakir Yaquobi, an economic expert, emphasized that Afghanistan has the potential to increase its saffron production and exports. “We can have high production and exports, as there is a big market and high demand for Afghan saffron around the world,” Yaquobi said.
Another economic expert, Rahim Marjan, suggested that showcasing Afghan saffron at international exhibitions could help increase its global visibility and attract more customers. “If we display Afghan saffron at international exhibitions, people will get to know about it and it will find its way into international markets,” Marjan said.
The latest figures represent a significant increase from the previous year, when approximately 70 tons of saffron worth $23 million were exported. The growth in saffron exports is seen as a positive development for Afghanistan’s economy, and experts are optimistic about the crop’s potential to contribute to the country’s economic growth.
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