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Records of saffron cultivation in Afghanistan goes back a century. Over the last decades of political turbulence in the country many farmers shifted their agriculture to poppy. Now that the government and several NGOs are helping farmers to convert their land to cultivate crops other than poppy, many farmers started to produce saffron. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, saffron is now cultivated on more than 2000 hectares of land in 31 provinces in Afghanistan.
The success story of Herat as a leading saffron productive province is attributed to Haji Mohammad Akbar, or as he is fondly called “Baba Saffron”. The title was given by former president Hamid Karzai because Baba Saffron reintroduced the cultivation of saffron to Herat decades ago. Baba started with cultivating 300 acres square meter plot with saffron onion bulbs that he got from Khorasan, Iran. During that period, farmers in Herat were more into poppy agriculture and drug trafficking. Baba Saffron encouraged many farmers to shift their plot to cultivating saffron, and he continued to inspire many up until he passed away on September 2020.
At Saffronistan, we are committed to continue the work of Baba Saffron by supporting local farmers and distributing their produce to the world, ensuring equitable trade.
Hi, I am Iqbal Rasooli.
Like many Afghans, I thought of leaving the country at some point for a better life. However, deep down I realised that my country needs me more than the foreign currency I would transfer from some other country. So, I worked with NGOs and international organisations that help rebuild the country and support its least fortunate communities.
At a certain point it was not enough, Afghanistan is growing rapidly and more needs to be done. Here I decided to be a cog in its industrial and agricultural growth.
I decided to put my all into creating Saffronistan. As the name indicates, my initial idea was to produce saffron and distribute it worldwide, and thus give farmers their fair share and also contribute to Afghanistan’s growing economy. The speed of the economy recovery helped Saffronistan expand to include logistic and sustainable trade in the first year of its establishment.
Putting our efforts with local and international partners brought important new infrastructure to several provinces. We could build warehouses and provide essential material for different projects, empowering communities.
Saffronistan started an exciting journey in a rapidly growing economy and we are dedicated to being part of the Afghanistan’s economic growth locally and bringing its exquisite products to the world.