SA cultivates world's most expensive spice with 'jaw-dropping' returns for farmers
Spearheaded by pioneers like Saffricon, this spicy venture promises not only substantial financial rewards but also a chance to revitalise drought-stricken agricultural landscapes.
Livestock farmer Joe Kroon, from the arid Karoo region near Graaf Reinet, turned to saffron five years ago out of desperation when severe drought threatened his livelihood, and government offered no assistance.
Importing corms (bulbs) from The Netherlands, he began cultivating the delicate purple flower, whose red stigmas form the precious spice.
'Every year that we've planted, it's got better and better,' said Kroon. 'It sort of exponentially grows each year.'
Kroon's partner, Ross Blakeway, now expects their season yield reach about six kilogrammes.
The world's most expensive spice, mostly associated with Iran and Afghanistan, is highly-prized in the culinary world and often used in Indian cuisine.
Each saffron flower yields only three threads, and it takes about 150 000 flowers to produce just one kilogram.
The threads have to be hand-picked, making cultivation highly labour-intensive.
The returns however are jaw-dropping, according to Bennie Engelbrecht, founder of Saffricon.
One kilogram of high-grade saffron can fetch up to R200 000, with a retail price in South Africa as high as R250 000/kg.
Engelbrecht has spent the last seven years perfecting the art of growing this exotic spice on the dry plains between Williston and Calvinia.
Saffricon is the largest commercial producer in South Africa, with seven hectares of saffron crops in the Piketberg area of the Western Cape.
And now they're ready to share their secret.
'This country really needs something that can turn people's lives around,' said Engelbrecht. 'Saffron can be planted on a small piece of land and could potentially change your life.'
Saffricon if offering interested contract farmers a three-year outgrower programme. It includes: Saffron corms (bulbs) supplied to farmers
Training and ongoing support
Guaranteed buyback of both threads and multiplied corms
Rapid returns: plants flower in just 40 days after planting
The labour-intensive nature of saffron farming also makes it a great source of job creation.
One of the major perks of growing saffron in South Africa is that it uses very little water.
While maize or wheat requires 500–800mm of water per season, saffron needs just 250–300mm.
'Saffron grows in areas where other crops fail,' added project partner Corné Liebenberg. 'This is a real opportunity for emerging farmers who want a niche crop with export potential.'
This 'wonder plant' has no wastage either. The threads are a spice, and the petals go into medicine and cosmetics.
The corms (bulbs) of the world's most expensive spice meanwhile are the farmers' asset as they multiply underground. What's more, saffron crops are frost- and hail- resistant too.
For interested farmers, the message is clear: saffron offers a golden opportunity to cultivate a high-value, resilient crop with the potential for transformative financial returns.
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