Khorasan Razavi Saffron Production to Exceed 250 Tons

Khorasan Razavi Province in northeastern Iran is estimated to produce 250-260 tons of dried saffron from 82,000 hectares in the current Iranian year (started March 21), the head of Khorasan Razavi Agricultural Jihad Organization announced. The northeastern province accounts for more than 70% of Iran’s saffron production. Mojtaba Mazrouei added that about 117,000 households in the province earn their living from saffron cultivation. Iran is the world’s biggest saffron producer and accounts for more than 90% of the global production. More than 172 tons of saffron worth $246.7 million were exported to 47 countries in the last Iranian year that ended on March 20, 2017, marking a rise of 32.3% in weight compared to the preceding year. Hong Kong, Spain, Germany, Japan, Australia, the US, Belgium, Bahrain, Afghanistan, the UK and Taiwan are the main customers of Iranian saffron.