A total of 324 tons of saffron worth $190 million were exported from Iran to 60 countries in the last fiscal year (March 2020-21), with five countries accounting for 79% of weight and 78% of the value of total shipments, says the spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration.
“Hong Kong with more than 74 tons worth $46.62 million was the biggest customer of Iranian saffron over the period. The country alone accounted for 23% and 24.5% of the total volume and value of the exports respectively,” Rouhollah Latifi was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
Hong Kong was followed by the UAE with 59 tons worth $33.94 million, Spain with 49 tons worth $26.44 million, China with 40 tons worth $22.5 million and Afghanistan with 33 tons worth $19.17 million.
Other export destinations for Iran’s red gold are France, Italy, Australia, Bahrain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Canada, Germany, India, Switzerland, Malaysia, Turkey, Iraq, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa, Austria, Poland, Norway, Kenya, Lebanon, the US, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and the Philippines.
Iran is the world’s biggest producer of saffron, the most expensive spice in the world, accounting for about 90% of global production.
The lion’s share of Iranian saffron is exported via air.
The saffron industry has created about 200,000 jobs along the pre-harvest, harvest, post-harvest, processing, sorting and packaging chains. The livelihood of these people, farmers in particular, mainly depends on exports.
According to Deputy Agriculture Minister Ali Tahmasebi, Iran’s area under saffron cultivation exceeds 115,000 hectares, which is 20 times bigger than the total land dedicated to saffron harvest in the whole world. Noting that Iran is annually increasing the area by 5,000 hectares, Tahmasebi said saffron cultivation is no longer restricted to the three provinces of North Khorasan, South Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi.
“Farmers now also harvest saffron in various parts of the country, including Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province, a cold and mountainous region in central Iran, as well as in Khuzestan, a southern province known for its hot and humid climate,” he added.
Per capita saffron consumption in Iran has been put at 1 gram. Annually, 80 tons of saffron are consumed domestically.
However, Gholamreza Miri, the deputy head of Iran National Saffron Council, said local demand for saffron has dropped by 70% following the outbreak of Covid-19 and the decline in the number of wedding and funeral receptions, adding that saffron is no longer a priority in the food basket of Iranian households.
Saffron, the world's costliest spice by weight, is derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and coloring agent in food.
Saffron is widely used in Persian cuisine for its distinct aroma, color and taste.
