Saffron harvest starts in Khenchela with good yield expected

The official saffron harvest campaign has started in Khenchela wilaya on Tuesday, and a plentiful, high-quality yield is expected this season.

Algérie Eco reported that the first signs for this season point to excellent productivity compared with previous years.

Samir Ghodbane, secretary general of the Algerian Association for the Promotion of Saffron, said favourable weather and the experience of farmers and investors explain this.

Saffron is a spice made from the red threads, known as stigmas, found inside the saffron flower.

The harvest needs workers to get up very early in the morning to pick the saffron flowers. Picking should be done in daylight to protect the characteristics of the spice, Ghodbane said.

After picking, the red threads are separated with great care, a task usually given to rural women.

The saffron is then dried, either naturally or by machine, following scientific standards and strict health measures. These steps help protect the saffron's quality, taste, colour, and its nutritional and antioxidant properties.

Ghodbane said, according to analyses, that farms in Khenchela produce high-quality saffron. Crocin levels can reach 20%, and crocin is the natural compound that gives saffron its red-orange colour.

Ghodbane also said that the price of a gram of saffron reaches 2,000 dinars (DZD).

Farmers have grown saffron for 12 years, and the crop has expanded strongly over that time. Ghodbane said this is because producers earn high income when they sell their whole harvest.

Producers hope to find buyers in international markets, and to use modern methods to process and pack the final product.

Ghodbane also said scientific research should be built into the development of the saffron sector. He added that the procedures for labelling and marketing the product should be made easier.

This applies in particular to pharmaceutical laboratories, both at national and international level, he said.

Ghodbane said such steps would turn saffron from a traditional activity into an economic sector that creates jobs.