TEHRAN - Iran has exported over 25 tons of saffron valued at $22 million to 37 countries in the first two months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20 – May 20), according to a senior official with the Agriculture Ministry.

Hossein Zeinali said on Tuesday that China, the UAE, Spain, Afghanistan and Italy were top five destinations for Iranian saffron.

The country produced over 238 tons of saffron last year which were dispatched to the domestic and international markets, he stated. 

Over 127,000 hectares of land are under saffron cultivation in Iran, the official said, adding that the provinces of Khorasan Razavi and South Khorasan are the two main hubs of saffron production in the country.

He noted that the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad will not support saffron production in the areas where production is lower than 5kg per hectare and have no special plan for upgrading their performance as he said production in these areas is not economically justifiable.

EF/