Iran is expected to produce some 350 to 400 tons of saffron this year, according to a senior official with the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad.
Hossein Zeinali said on Sunday that some 127 hectares of land is under saffron cultivation this year, with more than 93% of the product being produced in the Great Khorasan – comprising of three northeastern provinces of Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan and South Khorasan.
The official added that Iran’s average per hectare saffron production has increased from 3.5 kg to 9 kg, thanks to efforts made by the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad.
In a message to a ceremony marking Iran’s National Saffron Day on Saturday, President Masoud Pezeshkian had stressed that Iranian saffron has to regain its status in the world market.
Earlier in April, Gholamreza Miri, the vice chairman of Iran’s National Saffron Council, had said that Iran used to export some 325 tons of saffron to 47 countries annually four years ago, while noting that although the country is currently exporting the precious spice to 67 countries, the annual exports have reduced to 200 tons.