Afghanistan exports saffron worth $27m in 8 months

KABUL: Afghanistan has exported saffron worth $27 million over the past eight months, according to Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, the spokesperson for Afghanistan's Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC).

"During the eight months of the 1402 solar year (the year 1402 in the Persian calendar started from March 21), approximately 28,620 kilograms (kg) of saffron, worth $27 million, were exported," Jawad was quoted as saying by a private media outlet, Tolonews.

The valuable spice, locally known as 'red gold' in Afghanistan, has been primarily exported to India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, Indonesia, Spain, Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom, Jawad said.

Saffron is typically cultivated in the western Herat province. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock has provided training to 200 farmers as part of its efforts to promote saffron cultivation and processing in other provinces of the war-ravaged country.

Afghanistan's main export items include coal, saffron, fresh and dry fruits, hand-woven carpets, and precious and semi-precious stones.

By RSS/Xinhua