Iranian Researchers in Birjand Begin Mass Production of Saffron Flowers Harvesting Machines

More than 90% of the world's saffron is cultivated and grown in Iran, and most of the harvesting saffron's flowers is still done by hand, which comes with problems in supplying the product to international markets.

The unavailability of saffron leaves pickers in the harvest season is one of the problems that the farmers usually face.

For that, Amir Hossein Assa’dian a professor at Birjand University in Birjand city, the capital of South Khorasan Province took an important step in mechanizing saffron leaves harvesting by designing and mass producing saffron picking machines in Birjand-based Kian Farda Shargh Company, where he is the managing director.

"These machines are industrially available in two models: backpack and cart or tiller models," the professor said.

The cart model is used to harvest saffron flowers in row planting, and the backpack model can be used to pick the saffron threads in all saffron fields.

Assa’dian further told Iranian media that their industrial group not only have supplied their saffron flowers picking machines to domestic farmers, but they have also exported as many as 60 machines to Afghanistan and some European countries.

He further pointed to how to work with the two machine variants, saying, “In backpack model, the engine is placed on the back of the user and the picking part is held by hand. This type of machine is used in both straight rows and traditional cultivation forms. However, currently, most of the saffron fields in the province and the country are traditional. Because of that, the more flowers the field has, the more efficient this type of machine is.”

The professor added that the cart/tiller variant of the saffron flower picking machine is useful for fields on which saffron plants are grown in straight rows rather than the traditional way.

“The cart model is also used to pick saffron flowers in row planting. the engine of the machine is placed on the chassis and it is easier to work with than the backpack model,” Assa’dian added.

He added that the cart model functions faster that the other model and for that, it is available in the market for higher prices.

The said that their machines have received a warm welcome by the farmers.

“With the optimizations, the new model of this machine has a higher speed and accuracy in harvesting saffron than the products of the previous years,” he said.

“Considering that the saffron flowers are grown at a height of two to three centimeters from the soil surface, farmers should level the ground before harvesting, and if these machines are used in leveled fields, they perform the best,” Assa’dian further noted.

The Birjand University professor said, "We started manufacturing the machine three years ago in 2020," adding, "With an annual production of 57 tons of saffron, South Khorasan is the second largest producer of spice in Iran. The saffron produced in that province, especially in Qaenat County, is known as the highest quality saffron in the country."

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