Growers fear a perfect storm for a tradition that has long bound rural communities together A sharp wind shunts clouds across the low and endless skies of La Mancha as Carlos Fernández stoops to pluck the last mauve flowers of the season from the cold earth. Their petals, which stain his index finger and thumb blue, enclose an almost weightless prize whose crimson threads are treasured in Spain and across the world and the weighty comparisons those prices inevitably invite the life of a saffron grower is not without its trials As well as the back-breaking picking and the painstaking sorting the increasingly evident effects of the climate emergency and the infuriating discovery that a gang of thieves with head-torches descended on his fields overnight and made off with some of the flowers And then there are the dreaded words – “oro rojo” “Calling it ‘red gold’ damages our saffron because it makes it sound like something that’s expensive,” says Fernández, the president of the regulatory council of La Mancha’s Protected Designation of Origin saffron label “Everyone likes to compare it with gold and so when a housewife goes shopping and sees that a gram of saffron costs €9 [£7.75] But if you use it right – and in the right quantities – you’ll get 60 helpings from that saffron.” Divide nine by 60 and the price of that little jar doesn’t seem quite so outrageous This corner of Spain produces some of the finest saffron in the world and has done since the Arabs arrived with their crocuses almost 1,000 years ago but the sector is a husk of what it once was Carlos Fernández harvests crocuses outside the village of Villarrobledo in La Mancha Photograph: Denis Doyle for The GuardianA century ago Spain was the largest saffron producer in the world toasting and selling 140 tonnes grown on 13,000 hectares of land a year only 140 or so hectares – the overwhelming majority of them in Castilla-La Mancha – are estimated to be given over to saffron crocuses Total production for 2022 was around 450kg produces between 200 and 250 tonnes of saffron a year and Greece around 2.5 tonnes is that saffron growing has always been something of a sideline for Spanish farmers the saffron industry has never been properly scaled up “The big landowners would give their workers a bit of land where they could grow saffron to be used as a kind of currency,” he says the saffron was stored away and brought out and sold when a family had a big expense to meet such as a daughter’s wedding or building work on their house low-tech approach may have kept saffron production going over the past few decades it has also left it on the edge of extinction “We’re being held back by the idiosyncrasies of the sector itself,” says Fernández “What we’re trying to do now is bring about a change and a transition so we’re not left behind in this folk tradition we can’t grow enough saffron to meet our customers’ demand all year round and that means it’s not a stable business.” Small-scale low-tech production has brought the Spanish saffron sector to its knees Photograph: Denis Doyle for The GuardianProduction is unpredictable because the bulb-like corms from which the crocuses grow are susceptible to fungus and very sensitive to temperature changes the 200 producers whose saffron has protected origin status have seen what the climate emergency is doing to their crops Higher temperatures and less rainfall mean that flowering happens later and later each year as the plants wait for things to cool down The average yield in 2015 was around 650kg Since then there has been a gradual decline – 750kg in 2019 “Although it’s a crop that’s hard to predict as you get a different flowering each night the figures we have suggest yields are going down,” says Fernández we were getting 3.5kg a hectare when the normal yield is 7kg to 9kg.” Even though growers in La Mancha can sell saffron to their buyers for €5,000 a kilo profits are eroded by the fact that sowing corms costs €25,000 a hectare with no guaranteed yield because of the threats posed by fungus and higher temperatures Free weekly newsletterThe most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment Plummeting production in Spain has also sent buyers to overseas competitors that have the capacity to meet demand All of which is why Fernández and his fellow growers are asking the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha to fund an €18.5m strategic plan to save and develop the saffron sector could drive a five-fold increase in production and land use over the next five years pathogen-free corms could be bought from Holland Add to that mechanisation that would allow robots to extract the threads from the flowers and Fernández sees no reason why there couldn’t be 5,000 hectares of crocuses producing 25 tonnes of saffron in 10 years’ time The regional government of Castilla La-Mancha says it is committed to helping growers find solutions to the difficulties they face and to showcasing the protected crop It says funds are available to attract more young people into the sector and to help farmers mechanise and modernise their harvests Women extract the stigmas and style from crocus flowers grown near the village of Villarrobledo Photograph: Denis Doyle for The GuardianFor now the harvesting and processing of saffron in the area follows its ancient rhythms Once the morning’s crop has been gathered and brought in wicker baskets to a small warehouse half a dozen women – including Fernández’s mother Caridad Segovia – put on overalls and hairnets and sit around a long table for the monda or separating off the stigmas and style from the petals practised fingers moving independently of eyes saffron is a “social and family spice” whose picking and sorting binds the community together we wouldn’t be here together like this,” she says “Everyone can talk about their problems or their happinesses here It’s a kind of therapy where people can talk and ask for help if they need it.” the overalls and the sterile interior of the warehouse Carlos Fernández wonders how long it will endure “If the temperatures keep rising as they are if we don’t solve the health problems that corms have and if we don’t professionalise the sector very clear that it’s only a matter of time,” he says “A very high number of producers are now over 70 and when they stop their children aren’t going to take over and screw up their backs when they could be doing office work This post has been updated to reflect a new post from Jose Galan himself Valour FC midfielder Jose Galan’s time is departing Winnipeg for the offseason: today the 34-year-old journeyman midfielder has officially signed a one year contract with third division Spanish side CP Villarrobledo the veteran midfielder told fans that he would be returning to Winnipeg in March 2021 his move appears to be a transfer as opposed to a loan so the onus is likely on him to return come 2021 When Rob Gale first brought in the veteran midfielder halfway through the club’s inaugural campaign, Galan enjoyed the long-term vision of the club and found himself excited by a chance to settle down after having played for no less than twenty clubs prior to his time with Valour FC The 34-year-old has made 18 appearances for the Winnipeg-based side in all, with his only goal coming in a four-nil victory over expansion side Atletico Ottawa at The Island Games. It’s clear he is viewed as a leadership figure in the dressing room, too. A post shared by CP Villarrobledo (@cpvillarrobledooficial) on Sep 24 He had originally joined the side on a multi-year contract, with the club confirming in February that he had been retained for the 2020 CPL season. At the moment, he departs as the oldest-ever player for a Canadian Premier League side which relied heavily on its youth in the latest season Galan joins CP Villarrobledo on a one year deal marking his first return to Spanish football since 2011 The well-travelled veteran had played in Spain and Saudi Arabia prior to his time in Canada Viña Rock 2024 will be held from 2 to 4 May in the town of Villarrobledo in Spain in the same town in Albacete province and totally unrelated to the music festival some 7,000 people are said to have signed up was organised through Telegram and WhatsApp groups At 12 noon there will apparently be a "meeting to get to know each other" a "workshop on initiation to first contacts in an orgy" will be held for which they ask people to bring food to share The organisers recommend those interested in attending to "leave your brother-in-law in the tent" and come "with an open mind" They have also organised a "popular kissing" at the gates of Viña Rock on Friday 3 May at 9pm Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados Bike Europe is a part of VMNmedia. The following rules apply to the use of this site: Terms of Use and Privacy / Cookie Statement | Privacy settings Registration has been successfully completed Make a new account if you don't have one yet Born on 17 April 1997 in Dos Hermanas (Sevilla) Puedes ver la versión Española de BeSoccer.com You can see the English version of BeSoccer.com Vous pouvez voir la version French de BeSoccer.com Puoi vedere la versione Italian su BeSoccer.com Você pode ver a versão Brasileira de BeSoccer.com Jose Galan is set to return for Valour FC The 35-year-old Spanish midfielder finished his time with CP Villarrobledo on a high last weekend, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 away win over Merida AD. The veteran had inked a short term contract with the Albacete-based side last September revealing shortly after that the move back to his home country was set with a Canadian return date in mind As he told us at the time, he had long-term ambitions with Valour FC that were not quite done yet: he was enjoying the city, the club, and even more recently revealed that he has started to catch the coaching bug despite plans to continue playing as long as he can The veteran midfielder departs CP Villarrobledo after having made thirteen appearances for the Tercera Division side He will officially land back in Winnipeg next week with his return to Valour FC more or less set in stone His third year with the club will mark the longest time he’s remained with any professional side with Galan having played for 21 clubs throughout his playing career Galan has made 18 appearances for Valour FC over the last two seasons, with the veteran first arriving in the fall campaign of the inaugural CPL season. Last year saw him score his first goal for the side in a four-nil victory over expansion side Atletico Ottawa at The Island Games The club has also brought in former Eddies man Keven Aleman, with Canadian-Peruvian youngster Jared Ulloa set to arrive on loan from Sporting Cristal the club has sixteen players presently on the books with Galan expected to officially join that number in the near future Last week, the club confirmed that goalkeeper Matt Silva would be returning, with U SPORTS youngster Yuba-Rayane Yesli set to trial with a high chance of earning a development contract – through the side may bring in another goalkeeper to compete with Silva Valour FC has not yet made the return of Jose Galan official but the two have been in verbal agreement regarding the return for some months now Raul likely had plenty of opportunities to finesse his technique and perfect his coordination skills These will surely come in handy during Casa Amor as well The 24-year-old Florida native started playing for the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds, the basketball team representing Long Island University, circa 2015. He stayed on the team until 2019. He was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Week in December 2018, per the Long Island University Athletics site As his player profile reveals, Raul worked his way up from a backcourt reserve to one of the best players on the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds team. If he manages to pull off a similar move on Love Island USA he is bound to become one of the heavy hitters on the show View this post on Instagram A post shared by Raul Frias (@rahhfrias) Raul's charismatic personality and impressive physique have already caught the attention of Love Island USA fans "The #LoveIslandUSA Casa Amor boys put the #LoveIsland UK ones to shame. Charlie and Raul are fine," tweeted @_annelou "God sure took his time with Cinco, Raul, and Charlie #LoveIsland" tweeted @notsochay "I'm loving all the attention Cash is getting, but I'm torn! Both Raul and Charlie are such good matches for her! #LoveIsland #loveislandusa," wrote @anysseme. As part of Casa Amor, five women and five men enter the Love Island USA villa. Their only aim? To seduce a contestant, regardless of their relationship status. If they succeed, they get to secure a spot on Love Island USA. In Season 3 of Love Island USA, rising stars like Gabe Sadowsky, Charlie Lynch, Andrew John Phillips, Kamryn Mickens-Bennett, and Raul have to demonstrate their finest moves and beguile the women appearing on the show. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Raul Frias (@rahhfrias) and Isabel Johnson are the five women joining the male contestants for the next few days A recent episode of Love Island USA captured unexpected turmoil between Melvin "Cinco" Holland Jr. and Trina Njoroge. Other stars who might find themselves falling for the newcomers include Cashay Proudfoot, Jeremy Hershberg, and Korey Gandy Season 3 of Love Island USA airs Tuesdays Is 'Love Island USA' Renewed for Season 4? Here's What We Know Casa Amor on 'Love Island' Is All About Adding Extra Drama The Latest on the Shocking 'Love Island' USA Season 3 Recouplings Link to X Link to Instagram Contact us by Email Opt-out of personalized ads People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website Offers may be subject to change without notice.