Women, key players in the saffron value chain in Morocco

AN Enterprising WOMAN

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Khadija is one of the few women heading a saffron cooperative, an exception in a region where strong differences between men and women prevail. Women have more difficulties accessing employment or credit. Their voice is also hardly heard.

Supporting women’s cooperatives like Khadija’s and promoting the involvement of women in decision-making bodies of other cooperatives is therefore essential for improving their position and social and economic situation.

PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN THE VALUE CHAIN

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hard WORK

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Saffron is the only spice in the world extracted from a flower. It is expensive because much manual labour is involved. Usually this work is done by women.

From October to mid-November, in the early hours, Khadija and other women of Taliouine pick the crocus flowers. Saffron is the tiny red pistil which needs to be extracted from the heart of the flower. It is a delicate stage in the production of saffron. Flower after flower, women extract the pistil, a meticulous work that requires patience and that is done in group. Saffron ties these women together.

The extracted threads are dehydrated as quickly as possible in order to conserve saffron quality. Once dried, all impurities are removed and the threads are weighed and packed.

All these stages help explain why the spice is so expensive. Yet, those who work so hard in the production process do not get the benefits.

Promoting sales via strong producers’ organisations is one way of changing things. Fatima, a coach, is part of this change. Watch her testimonial and find out how she works with the cooperatives.

FROM FLOWER TO SPICE

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The part of the flower that is consumed is the pistil of the flower which is generally red ochre or orange.

230 flowers are needed for 1 gram of saffron.

Drip irrigation techniques, which require little water, are introduced progressively in certain saffron fields.

The flowers are picked at sun rise. They are still closed, so the pistils are protected from the rays of the sun.

Collecting flowers as well as the next steps are the most important steps in obtaining high quality saffron. These steps are primarily carried out by women.