Saffron: harvesting ‘red gold’ in the Karoo
FAST FACTS
Saffron is showing good results in current trials in the dry interior provinces of South Africa.
Saffron is known as the most expensive spice in the world. The high price is partly due to the labour-intensive nature of production.
Bennie Engelbrecht advises anyone interested in saffron production to start with a small trial before committing to a large commercial project.
Bennie Engelbrecht grew up in the south of Namibia on the Hardap Irrigation Scheme, and planned to join his father on the family farm. After returning from his military service, however, this plan did not materialise, and he spent the next 30 years working in the television industry.
“But if the soil is under your skin, it never lets you go. I’ve always been looking for something unique to farm,” says Engelbrecht.
That “something” turned out to be saffron, and it took him four years of
