Tehran - Ninety eight percent of the world's saffron is produced in Iran and implementation of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action provides an opportunity to export the product to the European market, a saffron exporter said.
Hamid-Reza Mahalati said that Iran's saffron enjoys the highest quality in the world.
Some 250 tons of quality saffron is produced in Iran annually, he noted, adding that only two percent of the world saffron is produced in Spain, Kashmir region, Morocco and Afghanistan, and with much lower quality. Spain exports one ton of saffron to other European countries in customer-friendly packages, Mahalati said.
The three Khorasan provinces have the best climate and soil for saffron production, while local methods of planting and processing the product have caused Iranian saffron to enjoy the best quality the world over.
According to Mahalati, 40 percent of Iranian saffron is consumed domestically and the rest is exported. However, he underlined, small assets invested in its production and export in recent years, have caused fluctuation in its prices.
Noting that the product is sold Rls. 200,000,000 to 450,000,000 per kilogram in certain countries, he said its price in the country took a downward trend declining from Rls. 70,000,000 in 2014 to Rls. 45,000,000 this year.
He noted that the lack of price stability has caused discontent of all producers and exporters.
Observing standards in export of saffron and government support for its producers and exporters will result in the removal of competitors on the global market, he believed.
Mahalati said that some companies have already started exports to various countries including the UAE, Britain, Iraq, Switzerland and some countries in South East Asia, China and Hong Kong.
Iran stands at the top of saffron producers and exporters with annual production of 200 tons of saffron.
Saffron cultivation, requiring little water for irrigation and providing high employment, is on the agenda of the government and the Ministry of Agriculture, Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati had said earlier. It helps remove part of the two major problems of the country, namely water shortage and unemployment.
Once modern irrigation system is used in saffron cultivation, the current low consumption of water, 2,050 cubic meters per hectare, would be halved which could be a further achievement.
According to the minister, every hectare of saffron cultivation would provide employment for 200 workers.
© IRNA 2016
