Afghan Women Turn To Saffron To Kick Out Poppy Problem

Afghanistan's battle against the poppy farming that feeds the country's illicit narco-economy has been long, troubled and apparently fruitless but women across the country have found their own solution, by turning to "red gold."



"I can earn 300 Afghanis ($5) daily from cleaning and sorting saffron flowers plucked from the farmland," says 42-year old Bibi Gul.



Gul, who lives in a village in the western Herat province, says she wants the government to promote saffron cultivation as an alternative to poppy production. 



"Saffron cultivation, its harvesting and processing is much cleaner and easier than opium poppy and the government can even replace poppy with saffron," says the hard working and hopeful Gul.



She is one of many women who have taken on the task of producing saffron, known as "red gold," in Herat and across the country, instead of producing poppy. 



According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, poppy production is at an all-time high despite repeated attempts to eradicate it. Alongside Afghan government efforts, the United States spent more than $7 billion on preventing poppy production but was barely able to dent the illicit industry. 



Afghanistan's narco-economy, which contributes to the manufacturing of 90 percent of the world's heroin, was no overnight sensation, according to Afghan and international organizations who highlight three decades of conflict as the main factor.



– Finding new wealth with red gold



"If we don't eliminate poppy, poppy will eliminate us," former Afghan president Hamid Karzai is reported to have said while in office. 



For years the Afghan government has tried to provide farmers in poppy cultivating provinces with alternative legal crops and it seems saffron, with its high value, has done well. 



The crop has witnessed a boom of sorts in recent years, not only making its way into Afghan kitchens but also onto the international market, where Afghanistan has begun competing with neighboring Iran, the world's largest saffron producer. 



For farmers there are clear financial benefits to choosing saffron; their gross income is roughly $20,000 per acre with saffron, compared to $2,000 from poppy.  



The business has been particularly effective in providing work opportunities in safe environments for women. 



According to Bashir Ahmad Ahmadi, an agriculture official in Herat, three of the province's planting associations are designed for women. He says the associations provide some 3,000 jobs for women in three districts. 



According to Bibi Gul, who keeps busy cleaning and sorting saffron flowers in her village, Gulmeer, the project could take on more women. 



Pleased to be busy with work, Gul says the work is relatively comfortable. She is given sacks of flowers already collected from the field so that she can then separate the valuable strands of saffron. 



– Long way to go for women's rights



Gul is one of thousands of women in Herat for who the saffron business has given her employment otherwise rare in traditionally patriarchal Afghan society. 



There have been other strides forward since the fall of the hardline Taliban regime in 2001; almost a third of parliament seats are held by women, the enrolment of girls in schools is up to 38 percent, and the maternal mortality rate has fallen drastically. 



These accomplishments are not enough though, according to Afghan women rights activist Fatana Gilani, who says they are mainly symbolic.



"Establishing a Ministry for Women's Affairs, allocating some seats in the parliament or empowering some women as heroes will not help Afghan women who struggle to survive," says Gilani, who is Director of the Afghanistan Women Council.



Her organization's research indicate that insecurity, a conservative society, unemployment and economic dependence are the main challenges to female empowerment. 



Domestic violence, especially in rural areas, remains prevalent.



A confidential Ministry of Women's Affairs made available to The Anadolu Agency found that under the previous government there were more than 40,000 cases of women suffering violence, including assault, torture, sexual assault, self-immolation, suicide attempts and forced marriage. 



A new concern for Afghan women is that political instability will lead to a backtracking on women's rights.



Many are worried that a potential peace deal between the government and Taliban militants -- whose previous regime put extreme restrictions on women -- could end up overshadowing any recent achievements. 



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