Iran exports of saffron grow

Saffron, widely used in folk medicine centuries ago, is still one of the rarest and most precious plants in the world.

Chairman of the National Saffron Council of Iran Gholamreza Miri told Trend News Agency that saffron harvest will last until December. It is expected that exports will grow by 50-60 percent by the end of the year.

According to the six-month statistics of the Customs Office, 105 tons of saffron worth $ 145 million were exported to international markets.

Price per kilogram of saffron is about 60 million to -120 million rials (about $1,430-$2,860).

In 2018, 105 tons of saffron were exported from Iran showing a 40-percent increase compared to the figure for the same period a year earlier.

Iran is the first saffron exporter in the world with a share of 44 percent, while Spain ranked the top saffron importer with a share of 23 percent. Spain, packing raw material from Iran, exports its products to the global market under its own brand name.

Azerbaijan meets its saffron needs by importing it from neighboring Iran, the largest saffron producer in the world. However, the country also grows this valuable plant in small amounts.

Today one gram of saffron in the Azerbaijani market costs 10 manats ($5.8), while the same amount in world markets stands at $20-25. Simple calculations indicate that only one ton of saffron would bring Azerbaijan about $25 million.