Climate change and the drought that the Spanish countryside is currently suffering has set off alarm bells for crops such as saffron. And in this crop of great gastronomic value, other problems are also added that make it important to save it. The reduction in hectares that are cultivated annually, the need for intense labor in harvesting, production and packaging are a serious problem for this jewel of the agri-food sector. Furthermore, the lack of generational change and imports from third countries and stings in marketing are the last straw that affects these producers.
For this reason, the Government of Spain has modified the regulations that regulate the control of the production and marketing of different plant reproductive materials. All of this with the objective of including the production of saffron and thus protecting its production from that of importing third countries.
Promotion and control in Spanish saffron
In this way, the order published in the BOE considers it necessary to activate “legal requirements that help its promotion.” Also official mechanisms that verify compliance with the rules.
The Ministry of Agriculture also takes the opportunity to modify the regulations on professionals who can issue phytosanitary passports and their control.
The work of promoting and informing Spanish saffron as a high-quality product will be important. Everything so that a crop and producers can be saved, many of them protected by the Denomination of Origin Saffron of La Mancha, does not stop declining in cultivation and production. According to this D.O, this year's production in cultivation will only be 90 Ha and with a very notable decrease in production. A problem that, if not remedied, will tend to disappear or remain as a residual crop. And Spanish gastronomy cannot afford this.
