Afghanistan exported saffron and Ferula assa-foetida worth $77.5 million over the past six months, the spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad said.
The country has exported 18 tons of saffron worth $20.5 million and 617 tons of ferula assa-foetida worth $57 million during the cited period through August, the official said.
According to Jawad, these two spices have been mostly exported to China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, Spain, Germany, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, the United States, and Britain.
Ferula assa-foetida, with its yellow flower and massive root, is native to Central Asia and eastern Iran, and is grown in Afghanistan, from where it is exported to the rest of the world.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock has provided training to local farmers in its efforts to promote saffron and ferula asafetida production in Afghanistan.