close
GRAAFF REINET, South Africa: South African saffron farmer Joe Kroon weighs the daily harvest of saffron flowers at his farm on May 9, 2025. - AFP
GRAAFF REINET, South Africa: South African saffron farmer Joe Kroon weighs the daily harvest of saffron flowers at his farm on May 9, 2025. - AFP

New to South Africa, saffron holds promise

GRAAFF REINET: Livestock farmer Joe Kroon turned to saffron in desperation when drought threatened his livelihood and, as this season’s harvest winds down, he is encouraged by the potential of a new entry into South Africa’s farming catalogue. “Every year that we’ve planted, it’s got better and better,” said Kroon, who started growing the world’s most expensive spice, mostly associated with Iran and Afghanistan, around five years ago with corms imported from The Netherlands. With around one hectare under cultivation at his farm near the town of Graaf Reinet in the dry Karoo region, Kroon is among the few South African farmers pioneering cultivation of the delicate purple crocus and its precious red threads.

“Animals were dying and there’s no help from the government so I had to find other means of making an income. I started researching and one of the things that came up was saffron,” he told AFP. “It sort of exponentially grows each year,” he said. “At the end of this year, we’re going to lift the crop and replant a bigger area.” His partner, Ross Blakeway, expects this season’s yield could reach about six kilograms (13 pounds), around double the amount of last year. It takes about 150,000 flowers to collect a kilogram of threads.

GRAAFF REINET: South African saffron farmer Joe Kroon picks saffron flowers during harvesting in a field of saffron flowers, at his farm on the outskirts of Graaff-Reinet. - AFP
GRAAFF REINET: South African saffron farmer Joe Kroon picks saffron flowers during harvesting in a field of saffron flowers, at his farm on the outskirts of Graaff-Reinet. - AFP

Porcupines and rabbits

Blakeway said output of their Karoo Saffron partnership is only for the domestic market, including local chefs and as an ingredient in a sauce and a Pure Karoo health range, although there had been some interest from Europe. And while there is promise for South African saffron, it is not a “get rich quick”, he said. The corms are expensive and, “it’s popular amongst the porcupines and rabbits, so you really have to protect your land,” he said. Saffricon, which says it is the largest commercial producer in South Africa with seven hectares, also began cultivation around five years ago. In the process of finding the correct conditions, Saffricon moved several times before settling in the Piketberg area in the Western Cape, said the company’s production coordinator, Tiaan Engelbrecht.

The company - which also shares advice and trial packs to potential cultivators, from domestic gardeners to commercial farmers - wants to build volume for local saffron to become a worthwhile export. “It’s been met with a lot of hope for being able to diversify the crops that are available in the country, especially for people who have smaller plots,” Engelbrecht said, although there had been some scepticism too. “It’s just been absolutely wonderful to see people still being excited about growing the agriculture industry and being excited about new things,” he said. — AFP

Propaganda is among the most powerful tools used by nations. It influences the masses, provides them with material to feed on, and becomes especially critical during times of war—whether to unify internal ranks or to demoralize the enemy. But toda...
By Nejoud Al-Yagout Women protests have brought women into the workforce and have put in place laws that protect women from domestic violence. But the mindset remains the same. Women are still fighting for equal pay and are still subject to femicide...
MORE STORIES