Saffron exports from Mashhad – the capital of Khorasan Razavi province in northeast Iran –registered a 30% growth during the first ten months of the current Iranian year (to end March 20), compared with the same period last year, according to deputy manager of Iranian National Saffron Council, Gholamreza Miri, Mehr news agency reported on Monday. Noting that the country’s overall saffron exports increased by 22% over the same period, he said Mashhad accounted for 90% of the exports. Nearly 190 metric tons of saffron has been produced in the country since the beginning of this year, showing a slight decrease from last year’s 200 tons, he added. More than 83 thousand hectares of Iran’s agricultural land are currently dedicated to saffron cultivation.
