Iran Launches First Saffron Gene Bank

Iran’s first saffron bulb gene bank was inaugurated in Khorasan Razavi’s Torbat-e Heydariyeh County. 
“The bank has collected saffron bulbs from 57 different regions of the country,” the deputy head for Projects and Planning of Industries, Mining and Trade House of Youth of Torbat-e Heydariyeh said on Sunday.
“The aim of establishing this gene bank is for experts and genetic scientists to work on the different varieties of Iranian saffron so that ultimately one special species can be registered as Iran’s with the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO],” Ehsan Mostafavi was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
The official noted that a field as big as three hectares has been dedicated for the purpose in the first phase, which will be later expanded.