This small-scale, low-tech approach may have sustained saffron production for the past few decades, but it is now endangered.
“We are held back by the idiosyncrasies of the sector itself,” says Fernández. “What we are trying to do now is bring about change and transition, so that we are not left behind in this folk tradition that we think we are in now. We cannot grow enough saffron to meet customer demand all year round, which means it is not a stable business.
The bulb-like corms in which crocuses grow are susceptible to fungi and are very sensitive to temperature changes, so production is unpredictable. In recent years, saffron’s 200 protected origin status growers have seen first-hand the impact of the climate emergency on their crops.
Hotter temperatures and less rainfall mean that flowering is delayed each year as the plants wait for cooling. Yields are also variable. The average yield in 2015 was around 650 kg and peaked at 915 kg in 2018. After that, it will gradually decrease to 750 km in 2019, 625 km in 2020, and 345 km in 2021.
“This is a difficult crop to predict, but the numbers show that yields are declining because we see different blooms each night,” says Fernández. “Last year he was harvesting 3.5 kilograms per hectare compared to a normal yield for him of 7 to 9 kilograms.”
La Mancha growers can sell saffron to buyers for €5,000 per kilo, while corm sowing costs €25,000 per hectare, with guaranteed yields due to threats from fungi and heat. Because there is no, profits are being eroded.
The plummeting production in Spain has sent buyers to overseas competitors with the capacity to meet demand.
All this is why Fernandez and his fellow growers are asking the Castile-La Mancha regional government to fund an €18.5 million strategic plan to preserve and develop the saffron sector.
They argue that with proper funding and research, production and land use could be increased fivefold over the next five years. You can buy healthy, pathogen-free corms from the Netherlands, or you can develop them in vitro like garlic, they say.
In addition to its mechanization that allows robots to extract threads from flowers, Fernandez doesn’t understand why there aren’t 5,000 hectares of crocuses that produce 25 tons of saffron in ten years.
The local government of Castile-La Mancha says it is committed to finding solutions to the problems facing growers and to showcasing protected crops. It says funding is available to attract more young people to the sector and help farmers mechanize and modernize their harvests.
But for now, saffron harvesting and processing in the region follows the old rhythms. As the morning’s crop is collected and transported in wicker baskets to a small warehouse, half a dozen women, including Caridad Segovia, Fernandez’s mother, don overalls and hairnets and sit around a long table. hand, worldly, or separate the stigma and style from the petals. They chatted as they worked and practiced moving their fingers independently of their eyes.by the end of worldlytheir fingers are stained yellow.
For Segovia and her friends, saffron is “the spice of socializing and family”, and the selection and selection of saffron brings the community together.
“If it wasn’t for Saffron, we wouldn’t be here together like this,” she says. It helps us help each other, it’s a kind of therapy where people can talk and ask for help if they need it.”
Despite the hairnets, overalls, and sterile warehouse interior, the scene is strangely timeless.
“With temperatures continuing to rise, it is very clear that if we do not address the health issues of the corms, production will drop significantly, and if we do not specialize this sector, it is only a matter of time.” he says.
“So many producers are now over 70 years old, but when they stop working, their children take over the job, ruining their backs when doing office work. It’s not viable.”
