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Kehkashan

Persian Clover Seeds Exporter & Wholesale Supplier — 35+ Origins, 80+ Destinations

Kehkashan exports Persian clover seeds (Trifolium resupinatum) from cooperative partners in Pakistan (Punjab) and Iran — supplied in bulk FCL or LCL with FOB Karachi, CFR, or CIF terms to Gulf and East African dairy buyers running irrigated winter forage rotation.

  • 35+ origins
  • 80+ destinations
  • ISTA / OECD certified
  • LC at sight (USD/EUR)
Persian Clover Seeds — Kehkashan International product photo

Reference image. Sample lots and product-specific photography available on RFQ.

Quick facts

Scientific name
Trifolium resupinatum
HS code
Common varieties
Generic Trifolium resupinatum
Origins available
Pakistan, Iran
MOQ
1 × 20'FCL
Pack sizes
25 kg PP bag, 50 kg jute bag
Specs
Purity: 98% min, Germination: 85% min
Lead time
14–21 days from PO confirmation
Incoterms
FOB Jebel Ali · CFR · CIF · DAP
Payment terms
LC at sight · TT · DP

Specification & container math

MOQ tiers

TierQuantityNote
Trial500 kg LCL
Standard FCL1 × 20'FCL ≈ 22–24 MT
Programme3–6 × 20'FCL / season

FOB pricing bands (RFQ)

GradeIndicative range
Pakistani Punjab cooperativeRFQ — entry tier
Iranian Khuzestan / FarsRFQ — mid tier
ISTA-tagged premium lotsRFQ — premium tier

Lead times — top destinations

Discharge portTransitIncoterm
Karachi (Pakistan, FOB)0 daysFOB
Jebel Ali (UAE)4–6 daysCFR / CIF
Jeddah Islamic Port (KSA)8–12 daysCFR / CIF
Dammam (KSA)7–10 daysCFR / CIF
Mombasa (Kenya)14–20 daysCFR / CIF
Packaging formats
25 kg PP bag · 50 kg jute bag
Container capacity
20'FCL: 22–24 MT (PP bags) · 20 MT (jute)

Documentation set per shipment

Every container leaves UAE Free Zone with the document pack below. Additional certificates (Halal, SASO conformity, BRC, organic, FairWild, etc.) are added on request before vessel loading.

  1. Bill of Lading (BL) — original 3/3 set
  2. Commercial Invoice — UAE Free Zone issued
  3. Packing List with lot codes per pallet
  4. Certificate of Origin (CoO) — Dubai Chamber attested
  5. Phytosanitary Certificate — origin NPPO
  6. ISTA Certificate of Analysis (purity, germination, dodder)
  7. OECD Seed Scheme tag (for OECD-eligible varieties)
  8. Fall-dormancy declaration (alfalfa / clover only)
  9. Fumigation Certificate
  10. GMO / Non-GMO declaration
  11. Form A (GSP) where applicable

Origin × spec comparison

Persian Clover Seeds origin comparison: variety options, fall dormancy, purity, germination, lead time, FOB Jebel Ali price.
OriginVariety optionsFall dormancyPurity %Germination %Lead time to Jebel AliFOB Jebel Ali
PakistanSargodha local · multi-cut hybrid7–998.5–99.0%85% min10–18 daysRFQ
Iran14–21 daysRFQ

Indicative figures. Prices and lead times are confirmed at the time of RFQ.

What buyers ask us most

  • Do you supply HarvXtra alfalfa to Saudi Arabia?

    Yes — USA-origin AmeriStand 480 HarvXtra, fall-dormancy 4, ISTA-tested.

  • Can you mix Italian and Australian alfalfa on one PO?

    Yes — multi-origin consolidation at Jebel Ali is our default.

  • What's your germination guarantee?

    90 percent minimum, ISTA-tested COA per shipment.

  • Do you handle phytosanitary, COO, and fumigation?

    Yes — included in CFR, CIF, and DAP terms.

  • What's the MOQ for alfalfa seed versus alfalfa hay?

    Seed MOQ is 1 × 20'FCL (~25 MT). Hay is quoted on inquiry.

Origins we draw alfalfa from, and which buyer prefers which

Saudi Arabia dairy buyers tend to ask for USA-origin AmeriStand 480 HarvXtra and 455TQ Roundup Ready, fall-dormancy 4 to 5. Kenyan smallholder farmers and East African cooperatives prefer Italian and Argentinian fall-dormancy 6 to 8 lots. Russian feed mills source Pakistani and Argentinian alfalfa at lower entry pricing per metric tonne shipped.

What the variety codes actually mean for your field

AmeriStand 403T carries traffic-tolerance traits at fall-dormancy 4. AmeriStand 480 HarvXtra is the reduced-lignin Roundup Ready release for higher-quality dairy hay. WL 525HQ is a fall-dormancy 5 selection from the Forage Genetics International program. CW 5050 is a conventional dormancy-5 line widely used in Italy and Argentina across pivot fields.

Spec language on every alfalfa COA we ship

Every shipment carries an ISTA-format Certificate of Analysis with purity 99.0 to 99.9 percent, germination 90 percent minimum, and a dodder-free declaration. Origin lots from the United States and Australia are OECD-scheme tagged. Sortex cleaning is applied at the packing line where field admixture exceeds 0.5 percent. Hard-seed counts are reported on request.

Fall dormancy ratings 4 to 10 and how to pick the right one

Fall-dormancy 4 to 5 fits temperate Saudi central pivots, Algerian pivot circles, and southern European multi-cut systems. Fall-dormancy 6 to 7 suits Egyptian Delta rotations, Moroccan irrigated valleys, and most Kenyan smallholder programs. Fall-dormancy 8 to 10 is for year-round equatorial dairy operations in East Africa, Sudan, and tropical Latin America.

Use cases: dairy, beef, sheep, and equine forage

Saudi dairy and Gulf dairy operations use HarvXtra reduced-lignin alfalfa for higher relative-feed-value hay. Kenyan and Tanzanian smallholder beef and sheep programs run conventional fall-dormancy 6 to 8 alfalfa in mixed-rotation paddocks. Equestrian buyers in Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE specify low-dust, double-cleaned WL series lots for stable feed.

Logistics from Jebel Ali to your discharge port

From Jebel Ali, transit to Jeddah and Dammam runs 5 to 8 days. To Mombasa via the Indian Ocean it is 12 to 18 days. Aqaba is 7 to 10 days. Doha and Kuwait are 3 to 5 days. Karachi is 4 to 6 days. Beirut is 10 to 14 days. We consolidate multi-origin alfalfa lots inside one 20 foot or 40 foot container at Jebel Ali before sailing.

Pricing structure: FOB versus CFR versus CIF deltas

We quote FOB Jebel Ali, CFR destination, CIF destination, and DAP door-step on the same RFQ. The FOB-to-CFR delta covers ocean freight only. The CFR-to-CIF delta adds marine insurance at roughly 0.15 percent of invoice plus 10 percent. DAP additionally covers destination port handling, inland trucking, and customs broker handover at your door.

Quality assurance: sample, COA, buyer approval, ship

We courier a one to two kilogram alfalfa sample with a draft Certificate of Analysis. The buyer runs lab confirmation or visual inspection. After signed approval we open the proforma invoice against an LC at sight or TT advance. Container loading happens under our supervisor. Documents are released through your bank.

Buying alfalfa in 20-foot FCL versus 40-foot HC versus LCL

One 20 foot full-container load fits about 24 to 25 metric tonnes of alfalfa seed packed in 25 kilogram PP bags or 50 kilogram jute bags. A 40 foot high-cube takes 26 to 28 metric tonnes. Less-than-container shipments are accepted for trial orders down to roughly 5 metric tonnes consolidated with our Jebel Ali warehouse partner before ocean dispatch.

Documentation set we release per alfalfa shipment

A standard alfalfa export pack includes the ISTA Certificate of Analysis, Certificate of Origin issued by the Dubai Chamber, a phytosanitary certificate from the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the bill of lading, the commercial invoice and packing list, and where the destination requires it a fumigation certificate and Form A.

Sanctions, payment, and trade-finance from a UAE Free Zone

Russian feed mills and Iranian buyers benefit from neutral-jurisdiction USD or EUR LC at sight issued from our UAE Free Zone account. We screen each PO against UN, EU, US, and UK sanctions lists before confirming. TT advance and DP collection are accepted for repeat buyers. Saudi importers usually open LC through SABB or Riyad Bank.

Risk and rejection: how we handle a failed COA at destination

If a destination lab reports germination below 90 percent or purity below 99 percent, we accept a counter-sample drawn under SGS or Bureau Veritas supervision. Confirmed off-spec lots are replaced from a sister origin or refunded against the LC. We log every deviation and route the lot back through Sortex re-cleaning before any resale.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan import compliance for alfalfa

Saudi importers must clear SFDA and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture seed-import permit. Egypt requires phytosanitary inspection at Alexandria or Port Said and a CASC certificate. Jordan accepts ISTA-tagged lots through Aqaba with an MoA seed-quality clearance. We pre-stage compliance documents before container dispatch.

What changes when you order Roundup Ready alfalfa

Roundup Ready alfalfa carries a Monsanto-Forage-Genetics technology fee priced into the seed cost. Buyers sign a stewardship agreement governing replant rights and isolation distance. RR alfalfa is not permitted into the European Union or the GCC organic-certified channels. Conventional WL series and CW 5050 are the substitute lines for those buyers.

Procurement-team questions

Answers to the questions buyers ask us most often during RFQ and trial-shipment evaluation.

Why pick Persian clover (shaftal) over berseem for irrigated dairy rotations?
Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum) thrives in cooler winters and tolerates flood-irrigation better than berseem, making it the preferred annual clover for Iranian Khuzestan and Pakistan Punjab winter forage. It produces 4–5 cuts of fine-stem hay against berseem's 3–4 heavier cuts, and outperforms berseem on saline or waterlogged soils where Iranian and Iraqi dairy operators run long irrigation cycles.
What germination rate and purity should I require?
Specify 85% minimum germination ISTA-tested, 98% minimum purity, dodder-free with origin Phytosanitary Certificate. Pakistani Punjab cooperative lots typically test 87–90% germination, 98.5% purity. We reject any lot below 80% germination at origin pre-loading and require fresh ISTA testing dated within 6 months of shipment.
Which months are best for sowing Persian clover in Gulf and East Africa?
Persian clover is a cool-season annual — sow October to early December in Gulf, Iran, Iraq, and East African highland (Kenyan Nakuru, Ethiopian Bale). Avoid late-December sowings in southern Saudi Arabia or Oman where soil temperature climbs too fast for vernalisation. Our dispatch schedule peaks September to early November to land seed at port two weeks before optimal sowing window.
Can I blend Persian clover with ryegrass or oats?
Yes — we pre-blend on request at our Jebel Ali Free Zone facility. Common ratios are 70% Persian clover + 30% Italian ryegrass for grazing, or 60/40 Persian clover + oats for cut-and-carry hay. Pre-blending costs an additional handling fee but saves the buyer mixing labour and gives a uniform broadcast / drilling rate per hectare.
What is the typical FOB Karachi versus FOB Jebel Ali price differential?
FOB Karachi for Pakistani Punjab cooperative lots typically runs 8–12% lower than FOB Jebel Ali on the same lot, because Jebel Ali pricing absorbs the Karachi-Jebel Ali short-haul, Free Zone bonded handling, and Dubai Chamber Certificate of Origin attestation. Buyers in Iraq, Iran or East Africa often save by direct-discharging at Karachi; Saudi and GCC buyers benefit from the Jebel Ali consolidation.

Long-form guides written by the Kehkashan trade desk for buyers and procurement teams scoping origin trade-offs, variety codes, and documentation flows.

Quote a 20'FCL of alfalfa today

RFQ response within 24 hours. FOB Jebel Ali, CFR, CIF, or DAP. LC at sight, TT, or DP.

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Dispatch from Jebel Ali. Lead time 14–21 days. RFQ within 24h.