The project, spanning an area of over 25,000 square meters in Al Jabal Al Akhdar
Oman’s first commercial-scale saffron cultivation farm project has begun operations at a site in Al Jabal Al Akhdar. Saffron Oman aims to introduce the first batch of locally-grown saffron by the end of 2024.
According to the Oman Daily Observer, the main idea behind this project is to introduce new crops to Oman on a commercial scale. Saffron was chosen due to its high value as one of the most expensive spices in the world. Since not many countries cultivate saffron, establishing a commercial saffron production project would be valuable for Oman, both in terms of supporting the local market and expanding into regional and global markets.
The project, spanning an area of over 25,000 square meters in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, was chosen due to its ideal climate for saffron cultivation. Saffron is a winter crop that requires low temperatures, below 18 degrees Celsius, to start forming bulbs; and during the flowering phase, it needs specific temperatures for the bulbs to yield dense flowers.
Al Hanshi, the project owner, mentioned that over half a million bulbs of saffron, weighing over nine tonnes, were imported from the Netherlands for the initial planting. The farm aims to achieve self-sufficiency by producing both saffron and bulbs. Al Hanshi stated, “The farm will produce saffron, but at the same time, we will also produce saffron bulbs because the idea is to import only once, and after that, the production of bulbs will multiply annually on the farm.”
