Saffron is known as the red gold, due to two reasons including its great red color and its high price. Some sources compare saffron price with the price of gold, most of the time saffron wins this comparison. In different country, you may find different price for saffron due to importation and exportation conditions. Here, we discuss saffron price and where to buy it in Ghana.
Where is Ghana?
The official name of this country is the Republic of Ghana that located in the West Africa. The Atlantic Ocean placed in the south of this country, and it abuts the Guinea Gulf. Ghana has over 32 million inhabitants; it is the second-most populous country in West Africa. The largest city and capital of this country is called Accra. Other important cities of it are Kumasi, Tamala, and Sekondi-Takoradi.
What is saffron?
Saffron is the stigmas of the purple flower called the Crocus Sativus in botanical and named as saffron flower or crocus flower in public. These stigmas have two parts, the red part and the root one. The red part is the reason of the great color and unique aroma of saffron and the root part with its orange color has less color and aroma, but helps us to recognize saffron.
The separating process actually separates these two parts and produces all red saffron. There are many different processing to produce saffron and its various types.
The saffron story
Saffron has a long story, but no one knows where this story started. Maybe one day a lover pick saffron flower to give it to his love. Saffron flower has a fragrant aroma due to the stigmas that lay between its petals, this flower has a beautiful lilac color that attracts eyes.
The first saffron flowers found in Iran. Stories said that this luxurious spice started to travel by Arab merchants. They could be entered Iran by the Silk Road and trade everything. When these traders had known that what is saffron and saw its unique properties like fragrant aroma and dreamy red color, they understood that this trade must be so profitable. They started to export saffron from Iran to different countries.
Sources claim that Arab traders had been imported saffron to Europe. But this is not the end of saffron travel.
Saffron entered Ghana
Do you know how Ghana as an African country connected to Europe? The answer is historical and warlike. The connection of Africa and Europe as two continent goes back to the slavery era. African countries were virgin and full of minerals. The most favorite minerals in Ghana are the gold minerals.
The first European country that entered Ghana and started to work in the Gold minerals of Ghana was Portuguese in 15th century. After years, German, Dutch, and England entered this country and used its gold minerals.
After centuries, world stopped the slavery and the era of slavery ended. European countries forced to leave the colonized countries like Ghana, but the world still needs minerals. Due to these demands real trades started. Hence, saffron entered Africa and especially Ghana by merchants.
Saffron in cities of Ghana
Saffron is not just spice. Although this magic herb is known and used as spice all around the world, it has uncountable health benefits. Saffron is used as the treatment and cure for many different diseases in traditional and herbal medicines, for years. Today, the experts and doctors confirm its effects on human health, after lots of tests and experiments.
Unfortunately, these health properties become another reason for saffron high price.
Saffron as the most expensive spice in the world has the exotic application in the culinary adventures. You may think it is a spice, but saffron users believe that it is a magical one.
Saffron not only could change the color, aroma, and taste of your food, beverages and desserts, but also can change the taste, smell, and color of your day. That is why people call it sunshine spice.
Here, we discuss come cities of Ghana and their connections to saffron.
Accra
Accra is the capital of Ghana and located on the southern coast in the Gulf of Guinea. Accra is the largest city of Ghana too. This city has 284,124 inhabitants.This city has 284,124 inhabitants. The Accra Metropolitan District that existed before 2008 is the territory that experts say the name of Accra refers to often.
Most Ghana travelers enter Accra first. You can see the Ghana culture in all parts of this city. If you want to start a business with Ghana, the best place is Accra. When you are looking for saffron, you can find it everywhere in Ghana, but the variety in Accra is interesting. You can find the saffron from all around the world like Iranian saffron, Kashmiri Kesar, Spain saffron and other famous ones. You would also find high-quality saffron and fake ones. You should know about types of saffron because undoubtedly you would see all types of this expensive spice in the markets of Accra.
The price of saffron in each country and even the cities of one country are different, but you could find the basic price of saffron in the capital, Accra.
Kumasi
The capital city of the Ashanti region in Ghana named Kumasi. This city placed in a rain forest region near the Bosomtwe Lake. This city is a commercial, industrial, and cultural capital of the Ashanti Empire from the past, that means you can find many historical monuments and places in there. This city is one of the tourist destinations in Ghana.
According to the cultural and industrial potential of Kumasi, saffron has a wide field of use here.
Sekondi-Takoradi
Actually, Sekondi-Takoradi is not a city, these two compromising the twin cities, Sekondi and Takoradi. This city placed in the Western Region of Ghana and is the capital of Sekondi-Takordi Metropolitan Assembly. This city is the largest industrial and commercial city in Ghana. You can imagine that saffron is used in the industries here. In other worlds, saffron is not just spice in Sekondi-Takordi, it is a raw material for many different industries.
Saffron Price
The most asked question about saffron is that why saffron is so expensive? The answer of this question contains many different reasons. People also ask why each year the price of saffron increase? The factors that affect on saffron price are uncountable and variable. We could mention some of them for you.
The types of saffron
As we explained above, almost all saffron benefits are due to its red part. According to this point, the types of saffron that are all-red saffron spices are the most expensive ones. We also can conclude that the type that has only the root part of stigmas is the cheapest one. Be careful, same frauds color the root parts and sell them as the high-quality saffron.
There are different types of saffron that you can buy and use. The most popular type these days are called Super Negin and Negin saffron.
If you cannot recognize real saffron, it is recommended buying Pushal saffron. This type has the red and root part it the saffron threads and due to its shape, frauds cannot copy it.
Quality of saffron
It is clear that, like all productions, high-quality saffron is more expensive that others. Try to buy good quality; because you do not buy just a spice, you buy a beneficial herb for your health.
Agricultural conditions
These conditions are the main reasons that saffron has no fixed price. Saffron growing conditions are not just about weather and climate. There are many different factors that could affect the quality and amount of saffron production in each saffron field. For example, in this year, 2024, the reducing temperature in saffron regions, especially in Iran, caused a great decreasing in the product amount. Iran produces approximately 85 percent of saffron that is used around the world.
Harvesting and processing
Harvesting and processing saffron is manual. Technology helps these steps and speed up them but yet producers need professional labors to do these steps. Hiring the professional labor and providing the harvesting and processing requirements cost a lot to producers. These costs would add to the final price.
The price of saffron in Ghana
You can buy saffron in bulk or retail. Usually, industries and restaurants buy this expensive spice in bulk. Saffron has cheaper price in bulk than the retail. If you want to pay less, you can buy the saffron that you would use during a year once and wholesale. Fortunately, saffron has a great shelf life, if you store it in the desired conditions. These conditions are not hard. Keep your saffron in an airtight container in a dark, cold, and dry place. It is better to choose a metal or glass airtight container.
You can find saffron in Ghana in 2024 and buy if for the price range of 45,200 to 47, 670 GHS per kilogram for wholesale. Also, you can buy this luxurious spice for the price range of 144 GHS to 500 GHS in retail.
Where can I buy my sunshine spice?
You can find this expensive spice in local shops of a country like Ghana due to its popularity and usages.
According to technology, you can find saffron in many online shops. You can order your spice in your home from anywhere and take delivery at your door.
Local shops in Ghana
However you can find saffron and other spices in many local shops in Ghana, we introduce some of the famous local shops here.
Kejetia Market
This market is one of the largest markets in Ghana and continent. You can find almost everything in this market. You would see different kinds of saffron with various qualities in the Kejetia market.
Makola Market
The main Accra city market is Makola market. You would find everything you need here. If you are new in Ghana ask about guide to visit this market. You can see that almost all people buy here. If you want to buy saffron, this place is one of the best.
Kotokubraba Market
This market located in the Cape Coast and is the biggest market there. You should find your expensive spice here. It is recommended to learn the saffron recognizing method then try to find and buy saffron.
Online shops
You can find many different saffron online shops. We understand that buying saffron from online shops may be unsafe and consumers may ask about how trust sellers. You should try to find trusted sellers and check their licenses, ISOs, standards, and also the consumer’s ideas.
The Ghaaneh saffron brand has high-quality saffron from Iran. You can order it online. You can find all types of saffron in this brand. If you use this saffron once, you would add it to all your recipes.
Ghanaian famous saffron recipe
The famous recipe of Ghana that needs saffron is called the Jollof rice. The rice is cooked with saffron and could be served with meat, vegetable, chicken, or fish. Chefs use lots of spices to cook this rice. Tourists usually test this rice when they travel to Ghana.
Conclusion
Saffron is an expensive spice, but it has popularity and full of health benefits. Due to all these effects and benefits that saffron has, people buy it and use it. You can find saffron in Ghana, but there is no fixed price, each year and in some cases each day the price differs. We can recommend you to buy your saffron wholesale, it has a cheaper price.
FAQs
Why should I add saffron to rice?
If you add saffron to your rice you see that it would have a great color and awesome aroma. This color and aroma make your rice different that you wish all rice recipes adds saffron.
Can I find saffron powder in markets?
Yes, you can find saffron powder in markets, but be careful this type is the easiest one that frauds could copy. It is better to grind your spice yourself by spice grinder or mortar. You can buy the saffron powder from trusted sellers. The Ghaaneh saffron brand produces the saffron powder from the Negins saffron; it means that you can use the powder of this brand for sure.
What is the most famous saffron beverage?
The most famous saffron beverage is saffron water or saffron tea. But you can make different cocktail and wine with saffron.
Very descriptive article, I liked hat a lot. Will there be a part 2? or other informative blogs about saffron in ghana.