Application of Risk Profile in Saffron Risk Management

Agriculture is a unique sector because of its dependence on the climate and biological variables. Therefore, in agriculture it is vital to identify and evaluate risks to be sure that decisions made on the farm will bring positive results. Torbat-e-Heydarieh is the most important center in saffron cultivation and production in Khorasan Razavi province and Iran. This city is famous for its Saffron lands. It has the first rank in the world for producing Saffron . So, in this paper, we employed risk profile analysis to saffron risk management. By using previous literatures, all of the risks of agricultural sector are identified and classified in nine categories. The information was collected from the university elite and Saffron union members. To design the risk profile, we used data from 67 saffron producers of Torbat Heydariyeh in 1395. For evaluating of losses related to each risk component, two indexes of frequency and severity of risk were calculated and based on that risk matrix were created. Results showed that the greatest area of risk is included all of the risk of pests, diseases and weeds (Different types of weeds, Micro pests (Fungi and bacteria), Macro pests( Mice, ant, insect, Grazing livestock)), economic risk (Brokers, market fluctuations, lack of liquidity of farmers), Climate risk (drought, frost and freeze) and damage risk (Reduce yield due to farm life).