KABUL (SW) – In response to recent claims made by an Iranian official about saffron smuggling through Afghanistan, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce under the Islamic Emirate has strongly defended the quality of Afghanistan’s saffron, asserting that the country is one of the world’s top producers.
The ministry issued a statement on Wednesday, addressing the good export of Afghan saffron, highlighting its reputation as one of the finest globally and emphasizing its growing prominence in international markets over recent years.
Earlier, Mohammad Reza Ardikhani, a board member of the Iranian Saffron Export Development Fund, claimed that despite Iran producing 90% of the world’s saffron, much of it is smuggled through Afghanistan and India.
He said that the discrepancy between Afghanistan’s production and export figures clearly indicates this issue. While Afghanistan produces 20 tons of saffron annually, it exports 90 tons.
The Iranian official further added, “Given the lack of banking transactions, a significant portion of the saffron is smuggled through Afghanistan and India.”
Ardikhani also pointed to India’s high tariffs as a contributing factor to the smuggling of Iranian saffron through Afghanistan.
In its statement, the de-facto government’s ministry of industry and commerce firmly rejected the allegations, emphasizing that Afghan saffron is entirely a domestic product.
It pointed out that all export shipments are certified by clients’ laboratories. “… therefore, there is no reason for Afghanistan to damage its saffron’s reputation in international markets by exporting low-quality saffron,” the statement added.
The ministry also expressed support for domestic producers, recognizing them as positive role models and stressing that “instead of making baseless claims, improving the quality of production is key to achieving an outstanding position in global markets.”
It is noteworthy that although saffron cultivation in Afghanistan is relatively recent, the country’s saffron has been described as one of the finest in the world.
