TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Jihad Hossein Shirzad announced that the national union of Saffron farmers cooperatives has already started work in several provinces across the country.

So far, about 25 Saffron farmers cooperatives in 6 provinces of the country have been established as an agricultural organization.

“The most important role these organizations can play in empowering saffron farmers is to follow the demands of farmers from the public sector and other sectors. And in dealing with other economic sectors of the country, they can address the problems, obstacles, and challenges facing saffron farmers,” Shirzad, who is also the chairman and CEO of the Central Organization of Rural Cooperatives  (CORC) of Iran, said.

“To that end and in order to defend the rights and interests of saffron producers, supporting the supply and production chain and the value of the saffron industry is essential to establish a national union,” Shirzad noted, adding, “The organization can be especially effective in marketing, balancing and regulating the saffron market.”

The Union of Saffron farmers Co-operatives is an organization with an economic and social approach that can, within the framework of its laws and regulations, regulate saffron farmers’ cooperatives to achieve their legitimate interests in accordance with the principles of cooperative law. Approved by the year 1971, he added.

Also, Shirzad continued, the Union can collaborate and interact with government and non-governmental sectors such as training and transferring the up to date scientific information to saffron farmers, pursuing easy access of farmers to agricultural inputs, striving for better marketing of saffron crops. , liaising with the government and influencing saffron policymaking and ultimately Strengthening the economic and welfare vigor of saffron farmers.

He pointed to the experiences of other national unions in the field of agriculture and the countryside and added that the National Union of Saffron Farmers’ Co-operatives in Saffron Marketing certainly has a higher degree of interaction and coordination and bargaining power than individual Saffron farmers and Even co-operatives.

And it can help saffron growers to sell their products at a more suitable price, he underlined.

Shirzad highlighted the Rural Cooperative Organization move to make non-guaranteed purchase of saffron from farmers that eliminates dealers and intermediaries from the saffron market and said: In general, the purpose of the Rural Cooperative in non-guaranteed purchase of agricultural products is to balance, regulate the market and prevent severe fluctuations in agricultural prices and its gradual supply.

In conclusion, Shirzad said the National Union and Saffron Co-operative Companies can contribute to balancing and regulating the saffron market with Rural Cooperative Organization and can apply saffron farming policies and Technical issues, production and operation of this strategic product play an important role in specialized departments, including the Department of Horticulture.