HERAT CITY (SW) – Herat’s iconic saffron is reaching out to global markets with hard labor of the local women workers, but they are getting meagre income for it.
Masuma, a 40-year-old worker in one of the saffron fields in Herat province, expressed her hardship and sorrow, describing how she works tirelessly from morning till evening for a minimal wage while facing hunger along with her children. She said she earns only 50 Afghanis for cleaning a kilogram of saffron, a task she finds physically demanding.
“We clean saffron for 50 Afghanis per kilogram. We sit there from morning till evening, our bodies exhausted from the hard labor,” Masuma lamented. “If we slow down, they deduct even that 50 Afghanis. We have no other choice; we have to work hard.”
Similarly, Ali Zayi, another resident of Herat, voiced complaints about the strenuous and heavy workload involved in saffron harvesting, a job he has been doing for 20 years for minimal daily wages. She urges local authorities and cooperative bodies to address their issues.
“The marketing sector, market problems for companies and farmers, and we all have our own problems,” he explained. “The government and international institutions cooperate and only provide companies and farmers with tasks they are capable of handling, but this cooperation is not sufficient; we have more problems.”
Meanwhile, Mohammad Ebrahim Adel, the head of the Herat Saffron Growers Union, noted the increasing cultivation of saffron in Afghanistan is due to its high market price. He reports that 21 tons of saffron were produced in Herat last year.
“The cultivation of saffron in Afghanistan has improved and expanded because its price in Afghanistan is very high,” Adel emphasized. “Our farmers and producers are very interested because the price of one kilogram of saffron has reached 125,000 Afghanis, and more farmers are turning to its cultivation.” He stressed that every worker should receive wages according to their efforts, highlighting the economic benefit derived from saffron cultivation.
Local officials in Herat acknowledge the increase in saffron cultivation with over 7,500 hectares of land dedicated to saffron in the province, benefiting around 20,000 families directly and indirectly involved in its production.
Mohammad Nasim Sahar, head of agricultural affairs at the Herat Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, supports the notion that workers must receive fair compensation relative to their labor.
“Everyone benefits according to their effort; the market is known to everyone. Currently, the market rate is between 120,000 to 130,000 Afghanis, and both the farmer and the trader benefit from it. The Directorate of Agriculture strives to be with them from cultivation to harvest, and we always support them,” he expressed.
