Some 48,000 tons of saffron worth $69 million were exported via Khorasan Razavi Province’s capital city Mashhad during the first five months of the current Iranian year (started March 21), showing a 1% increase compared to the similar period of last year, Mehr News Agency quoted deputy head of Iran’s National Saffron Council, Gholamreza Miri as saying on Saturday. According to the official, saffron exports in the current crop year have been below expectations. “Factors such as price fluctuations in global markets seem to have considerably inhibited our export potential,” he explained. The northeastern Khorasan Razavi and South Khorasan provinces account for more than 90% of Iran’s total saffron production.
