This is the flower in Kosovo, which is worth more than gold...

The tern, which is valued as one of the most expensive spices in the world, is also cultivated in Kosovo. This flower, which requires effort and patience, is estimated to be “more valuable than gold”.

Shafrain is a blue flower from the Iridaceae family, in which three yellow threads called male and three red stigmats, make up the main part of the flower. Unlike the cycle of development of other plants that activate in springtime, the dragonflower activates during autumn.

Climate and proper soil are needed for cultivation, as well as over 400 feet [400 m] of overseas at its planting site.

Kosovo has exported gravel even during period of Ottoman Empire
Shafrani is also cultivated in the northeastern city of Kosovo, in Podujevo. Union processing company Director Favzi Sokoli in a statement to Anadolu Agency (AA) indicates that the dragon flower has a history and centuries-old tradition and that it has been cultivated and exported from Kosovo since the 15th century, when Kosovo was located under the Ottoman Empire.

The aim of the company is that we want to renew this product because we have references from English and American writers that since the 15th century so during the Ottoman Empire, Kosovo has exported silk to Europe. Based on the historical writings we have found, Kosovo during Osman times is kept only in the dragon and silk”, Sokoli says. He announces that there are currently 10 hectares of land in Kosovo where the gravel is planted and that 2 hectares of them belong to his company. Sokoli says the field in Podujevo, where the height is 630m high, prepares in advance and that planting is done in June. It shows that the seed is placed 20 inches [20 cm] deep in the earth and that it is preferred for 500 thousand bublings or seeds to be placed on a acres of land.

He says that unlike other plants, boubs, or seedlings are planted during the summer and that the flower emerges in October. The gathering of flowers takes place in the morning hours, when these flowers are planted, as its leaves, according to Sokoli, preserve the qualities of the dragon - red fibers - that will benefit.

“The most important part of the flower is the stigma, also known as the dragon. But it does not mean that the rest are not important because they are used for perfumers and hygiene”, he declares.

After they are cut down, the shutter flowers are sent to the processing stage, where the dipping of stigmaes and drying are used in the final phase. The dragon's flower comes from the ark field, is placed here in baskets, and workers here are cut with scissors. We take the top part of the flower, and we only use the stigmas that are just three strands of”, shows the co-owner of Arber Grelica Company.

Gerlica indicates that after the drying of the pure yield of the grit is put into inox packing with hermetic mechanisms, which is a method of optimum conservation of the product.
He says that not all flowers are processed here, but only the chosen ones, that is the first quality and that 70 percent of all processing to the last stage are handmade. The whole product is 100 percent clean and 100 percent ferroan”, he says, suggesting that the rest of the flowers that remain return to the field for its food. It prevents about 600 diseases and has 175 positive effects on the body, Grrlica says, there are many reasons why the ferro is important and shows that some 150 to 180 flowers are needed for the benefit of a gram of cirani.

“Shafran is the object of some 5,600 scientific studies, university studies in Europe, and beyond. It prevents about 600 diseases and has 175 positive effects on the body from the moment it is consumed. There are other parapets, for example, that are used in cosmetics, and the kitchen is especially a dish used by well - known rhynomous restaurants or cooks. It has many effects and is a plant that hasn't shown its entire potential”. The price of up to 250 euros per gramGrlica points out that the dragon, which it calls a red “ <x2x3>, has a huge value and a high cost because of work and commitment to reaching the final product.

Making it known that the price differs on the basis of quality, he says the “price of the ferranite hangs, French producers sell about 56-60 euros gramin. We have found a price of up to 250 euros per gram. The average price for a high quality, if we take the most significant amount, ranges from 35 to 65 euros per gram”, Gerlica claims. He says the trade market for the grit has focused more on Europe and Asian states, and that because of the high cost there is not much interest in it in Kosovo.
<x0Iran is the world's number one producer, the other producer is Greece, produces a smaller amount, Italy a considerable amount, several kilograms a year, then France, which produces about 20 kilograms per year”, says Grelica, noting that there are far more demand in the world for the purchase of the grit than produced.

After buying it, Grelica says that the dragon should be preserved in a dry and dark environment and that in adequate conditions and closed ambalas, where its life expectancy lasts up to 4-5 years. Meanwhile, co-production from Belgium, Herbert Jaegers, says that the various actors in the field, especially in Europe, express interest in the dragon, especially in the aspect that it is organic and nonconventional. Voicing that they are looking for the market for the sale of grit in countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, Yegers says it takes time until the dragon finds its rightful place in the market.

Conscience and awareness of healthy products are growing in Europe. So even the organic product market is growing. People seek safe products, and this is a growing market. I think for a few years organic will be a standard for all of Europe”, he says.