November 16th 2022

Castilla-La Mancha values ​​the cultivation of saffron, promoting this excellent product and its culture

The general director of Food, Elena Escobar, has detailed that 60 percent of the production of saffron with Designation of Origin is exported, reaching more than 25 countries.

 
During the day, more than fifty participants have been able to see the harvesting, the peeling and the roasting, as well as trying dishes cooked with saffron by the cook Teresa Gutiérrez.

Villarrobledo (Albacete), November 8, 2022.- The Government of Castilla-La Mancha has organized a working day with the Protected Designation of Origin 'Saffron of La Mancha' to value the cultivation of saffron. It is one of the most representative quality foods in Castilla-La Mancha, protected under the 'Campo y Alma' guarantee mark.

The general director of Food, Elena Escobar, has highlighted that "saffron from La Mancha is a product of excellence and highly prized" internationally, detailing that more than half of the production of this crop is exported. "We export to more than 25 countries, 60 percent outside the European Union, mainly to countries like the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom, but also important Asian countries such as the United Arab Emirates, which tells us how appreciated it is in the world," he said.

"There are other saffrons, but ours is undoubtedly the best quality," Escobar stated. For this reason, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development has wanted to organize a meeting, based on the agreement signed with 'Alcampo' hypermarkets to promote quality food from Castilla-La Mancha. An appointment attended by fifty people, including managers of the entity, journalists and chefs, "to disseminate an excellent product and its culture".

Throughout the day, the general director was accompanied by the president of the PDO Saffron from La Mancha, Carlos Fernández, and the head of Communication for 'Alcampo', María José Rebollo. The participants have visited a saffron field in bloom and have been able to see the delicate process that follows the harvesting of its flowers, contemplating how the skin is made, always manually, and how it is roasted.

This was followed by a culinary demonstration, led by cook Teresa Gutiérrez, from the 'Azafrán' restaurant, who prepared three dishes. During the tasting, the chef has presented three more elaborations, tasting a menu of six passes, with saffron as the common thread.

Saffron with Denomination of Origin

The Protected Designation of Origin 'Azafrán de La Mancha' is one of the 35 quality figures from Castilla-La Mancha. Currently, it has some 115 hectares covered by the PDO, out of the 134 that Castilian-La Mancha farmers declare in their PAC applications. According to these data, the declared crop has increased by 50 percent since 2015. In addition, the producers sold a total of 2021 kilos of saffron with PDO in 435, of which only 30 percent remained on the national market.

The Government of Castilla-La Manca supports saffron, not only by promoting the product within the 'Campo y Alma' campaigns, but also by prioritizing its cultivation in all the help lines of the Ministry. In the incorporation of young people, for example, there are 30 incorporated with saffron since 2015. They also have priority in farm improvement projects, in FOCAL aid, in calls for aid to create groups of producers or in those of short channels of commercialization.

In addition, given that research is essential, the DOP Regulatory Council, together with various organizations and companies, is going to launch a pilot research project focused on the health of corms. Aware of the importance of healthy bulbs for the future of this crop, the Ministry has been working for months with the Ministry of Agriculture to approve a regulation, promoted by Castilla-La Mancha, for the production of certified saffron corms, which is expected to be Will publish in December.

All this is added to the promotion of saffron with the Ministry's own funds in conferences such as the one held this Tuesday, but also in different fairs and events, betting on its use in show cooking, tastings and tastings.

article JCCM

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