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Saffron cultivation began to recover five years ago and the Jiloca saffron producers association ‘AZAJI’ is working to publicize it. The objective is to get more people to start cultivating this product, which will begin to be planted in a few days.
For a time it stopped producing and only some farmers at a private level dedicated themselves to not losing the cultivation of a product recognized today in the national territory, the saffron from Jiloca . Its great coloring power and aroma differentiate it from other crocuses, marking its quality.
Currently there are planted around six hectares that depend on about fifteen producers which allows them to have bulbs to produce year after year. With what is planted now, it could be obtained around 6 or 7 kilos of saffron , a reduced quantity but which in the short term could reach a production of around 20 kilos. 150 flowers are needed for each gram of roasted saffron. A kilo of saffron for the producer is about 2,700 euros. For sale to the public it reaches 5 euros per gram, 10 if it is organic saffron.
Lack of producers
Three years ago they began to work on obtaining the appellation of origin, however, after having part of the processing carried out, it is necessary to fulfill another requirement to obtain it: «It is necessary to have a sufficient planted area that gives the necessary benefits to maintain the name, however at the moment with the producers that we are, we cannot bear the cost ”, acknowledges the president of Azaji, José Antonio Esteban, who points out that it would be possible in the event of increasing annual production. For this, it is trying to get more people to plant saffron.
From Azaji they try every year to attend fairs to promote saffron and make it known. One of them is the international fair related to Slow food , which is held every two years in Italy; in addition to this they are present at local fairs such as Teruel Gusto Múdejar or at national ones with the ultimate aim of achieving product quality recognition.
