“1 gram of saffron costs 20 GEL in Georgia, while up to €25 on the international market,” - businessman Merab Inasaridze told BM.GE.
It is worth noting that the farmer has been producing saffron spice called “Red Gold” in Gori for 10 years. According to him, there is practically no demand for saffron on the Georgian market, while certification is required for sale on the international market, which requires a large financial outlay.
“There is high demand on the international market. It is necessary to have a certificate that proves the product is organic. Unfortunately, I do not have a certificate. I periodically send samples to a French laboratory and I have a laboratory report. However, this is not enough. The product must be certified. I wanted to receive an organic certificate, but it was postponed for at least 2 years. The thing is that initially I did not know the principle of obtaining an organic certificate. It takes 3 years. You have to start from planting the bulbs, monitoring is carried out for 3 years, and you have to pay 3,000 USD for 3 years and then you will be given an organic certificate. This certificate is for 1 year. Therefore, next year you have to conduct monitoring again and get an organic certificate again. Such a huge expense is a challenge for us.
In Georgia, 1 gram costs 20 GEL, while on the international market it ranges from 5 to 25 Euro. It depends on where you sell the product. Georgian saffron is competitive on the international market," said Merab Inasaridze.
