Growing Saffron in Southern Hemisphere Markets

Growing Saffron Worldwide

At Roco Saffron we continuously look for new opportunities for growing Saffron all over the world. Over the years we have noticed many demand for our premium quality Saffron bulbs from Southern Hemisphere markets. Saffron is a great product and can be cultivated under many different conditions.

A few years ago we have started a small project in South Africa supplying our Saffron bulbs and test to condition our crop which is cultivated in the Netherlands (Northern Hemisphere) to the Southern Hemisphere conditions. We have found out that with temperature treatments we are able to hold the Saffron bulb dormant for a longer period of time and remains in perfect conditions.

Special Treatment of our Saffron bulbs (Crocus Sativus)

Storing the Crocus Sativus bulbs at certain temperatures in dry conditions will delay and extend the sprouting and flowering of the Saffron bulb. After testing for several seasons we have found out we are able to ‘condition’ the Saffron bulb (Crocus Sativus) to perfectly acclimate to Southern Hemisphere conditions. We usually start our treatment in August a few weeks after harvesting our Saffron crop in the Netherlands. We store the Crocus Sativus bulbs in our climate controlled facilities and we can delay the bulbs from sprouting until February. Thanks to our treatment we are now able to overcome the seasonal differentials.

Opportunities for growing Saffron in Southern Hemisphere Markets

Roco Saffron has been supplying Saffron bulbs to Australia, South Africa and even South America and we also see possibilities in New Zealand. We have noticed this opened up a whole new window of opportunities to supply Saffron bulbs now also to a big market in the Southern hemisphere. We start shipping our Saffron bulbs from December until February to Southern Hemisphere markets. In case you would need additional information please consult Roco Saffron directly.

Images

On the images on the right you can see our climate controlled cells whereby we prepare and treat your Saffron bulbs (Crocus Sativus) starting in August until the time of shipping. You can also see images of the Saffron bulbs after our treatment of 6 months and still in perfect condition. You can see an image of one of our customers in the Southern Hemisphere in Australia with Saffron blooms in the first year of harvest after a planting in January from our pre-treated Saffron bulbs.

Export Procedures of Saffron Bulbs

In many cases an import permit is required. As soon as we receive your import permit we can look at the possibilities of shipping to Southern Hemisphere countries. We usually have our stock inspected by the Dutch department of Agriculture who will issue a so called ‘Phyto Sanitary’ certificate which allows export to the relevant country. As we would need to reserve the Saffron bulbs in our treatment ahead of time, starting in August we can accept reservations until end of August. This way we can make sure to include your stock of Crocus Sativus bulbs in our temperature treatment and condition the Saffron bulbs to Southern Hemisphere conditions. Please consult Roco Saffron for any questions.