228 Tons of Saffron Exported from Iran in 11 Months

Iran exported 228 tons of saffron in the first 11 months of last fiscal year (March 21, 2019-Feb. 19) to register a 1.8% rise compared with the corresponding period of the year before.
According to Gholamreza Miri, the deputy head of Iran National Saffron Council, saffron exports have now come to a halt due to the spread of the new coronavirus, Young Journalists Club reported.
The UAE, Spain, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Italy, Afghanistan, Qatar, India, Germany and France are the main destinations of Iranian saffron.
According to Agriculture Ministry official, Hossein Zeinali, 404 tons of saffron were harvested from over 114,000 hectares last year.
Iran is the world’s biggest producer of saffron and accounts for about 90% of global production.
Land under saffron cultivation is increasing each year in line with production growth.
“Cultivation area for saffron in Iran is 20 times bigger than the total land dedicated to growing saffron in the whole world,” says Iran’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Ali Tahmasebi, adding that Iran is increasing the area by 5,000 hectares each year.