Dawi Group & Afghan Red Gold Ltd jointly to export saffron to Europe
By: Ahmad Fahim Baktash
Date: 06/07/11
Recently, Dawi Group with multi lines of business formed a JV with Afghan Red Gold Ltd under Afghan Gold brand currently exporting saffron to European Markets with standard norms of processing and packaging.
Afghan saffron fortunately turned to be of high quality organic nature which can easily compete at the international markets. The volume of production in Afghanistan only reaches maxim 2000 Kg in a year while the world market demand is over 400,000 Kg.
During the agriculture private sector seminar organized by the Netherlands-Afghanistan Business Council, NAfBC and Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion, NCH from 23rd July to 24th 2011 in The Hague, Netherlands. This event provided the opportunity of direct business contacts with Dutch and Afghan business sectors resulting great joint cooperation between Afghan and Dutch private sector which has marked an historical event where the signing ceremony was witnessed by a very high profile delegates such as Minister of Agriculture of Afghanistan HE. M. Asif Rahimi, HE. Mr. Enayatullah Nabiel, Afghan Ambassador in Den Haag, Mr. Noorullah Delawari CEO of AISA and Mr. Ehsan Turabaz as the genuine face of Afghans serves as the Honorary Consul-General of Afghanistan in Amsterdam & Rotterdam -President Netherlands-Afghanistan Business Council on 23rd June 2011.
Afghan German Trading Company-AGT- a branch of Dawi Group operating in Germany and, Red Gold Saffron (based in Kabul) and Avalon Foundation in The Netherlands they have agreed that they will jointly submit a proposal on organic saffron production center in Afghanistan where there will be a joint investment by the private sector and Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, under the PSI subsidy scheme. This will be a labor extensive project which will provide working opportunities for the farmers producing saffron, processing and packaging. Due to the high price of this agriculture herb it is the best alternative product to replace puppy cultivation in Afghanistan.
"We have taken the first important step to practically replace puppy cultivation with saffron, provide appropriate income for the farmers of saffron now we need the national and international support to take other practical steps" said Abdul Ghafar Dawi, President of Dawi Group.
The worth of investment expected to be invested is around 1.5 million Euros that will expedite the production and processing volume of saffron as well as insure standard production to meet the required standard norms in Europe.
The purpose of this conference was to initiate tangible and concrete activities for the development of the agriculture sector of Afghanistan and evaluate how to integrate the contribution of the Dutch and Afghan governments in this regard.
