Top Saffron Producing Countries
producing country, and three other countries follow. This spice is extensively used for home and industrial purposes. As it is known as the most expensive spice in the world, the market and trade of saffron are known as one of the most profitable and important ones.
What are the top saffron-producing countries?
There are five top saffron-producing countries. Each of these countries produces different types and qualities of saffron. below, we’ll list the top five saffron-producing countries:
Iran:
Iran produces more than 90% of the world’s total saffron production. No exact data of Iran yearly saffron production is available, yet with respect to the under cultivation lands the production of this agricultural product increases by 5 to 10 percent per year. Considering the fact that 4 to 5 kg of saffron is harvested per hectare, therefore yearly near 350 to 400 tons of saffron is harvested if all other variables are held constant. Recent updates have shown that Iran’s saffron production volume has diminished due to climate changes in recent years . Please check the reasons and background causes, in the “Why saffron production rate decreased in 2023-2024?” blog post.
The Great Khorasan including Khorasan Razavi, north and south Khorasan is known as the primary saffron-producing region in Iran. Cities like Torbat-e Heydarieh, Zaveh, Taybad, Birjand, Qaen, Ferdows, Torbat-Jam, Gonabad are among Khorasan saffron-producing cities.
Other than Khorasan, there are many provinces, which produce saffron. Isfahan, Kerman, Fars, Yazd, also North Khorasan has the appropriate soil and weather condition to produce saffron where large lands have gone under saffron cultivation in recent years.
Iran produces different types of saffron, containing little to no amount of style.
The produced saffron will be exported to different destinations, around the world. Spain, India, Afghanistan, UAE, and Italy are the main saffron export destinations for Iranian product.
Afghanistan:
Afghanistan comes in the second rank in last two years. Afghanistan’s government, with the help of European countries and the USA, has developed saffron industry in Afghanistan, greatly. The long political presence of the US government helped them to replace opium production with saffron farming in many Afghan regions. Despite the fact that Afghanistan has become the second top saffron-producing country, it supplies and imports near 80 percent of called its saffron from the Iran market, due to Iran’s commercial restrictions The details of why and how Iranian saffron is exported to Afghanistan are explained in “How Afghanistan Became a Saffron Producer?”
Afghanistan exports saffron to the UAE, USA, Turkey, India, Saudi Arabia, and European countries with no trade or logistics limitations.
India:
India comes in third place after Afghanistan. Kashmir is the main Indian saffron-producing region, with nearly 120,000 families in its different villages. Saffron Kesar has mainly exported to USA, UAE, Hong Kong, Australia, etc.
Greece:
Greece is known as the fourth saffron-producing country. Greece totally has around 1000-1200 hectares of land under saffron cultivation in its northern regions. They harvest nearly 4 tons of saffron per year and mainly export it to European countries such as Poland, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.
Spain:
Spain, the fifth top saffron producer country, produces around 1.5 tons of saffron yearly. Four types of La Mancha Saffron, Coupe Saffron, Rio Saffron, and Sierra Saffron are the main Spanish saffron types. La Mancha is the most expensive Spanish saffron type, as it is farmed in a small specific region, which is protected strictly.
“What are Spanish Saffron Types?” explains details of Spanish saffron types and general characteristics. USA, Italy, and Saudi Arabia are the main importers of Spanish saffron.
Final word
The list of saffron-producing countries may not be limited to the above-mentioned names. There are some other countries that produce saffron on smaller scales. Iran is known as the top saffron-producing country both in terms of quality and quantity. SunLand as an Iranian saffron exporter company provides the best quality saffron for its international customers around the world. SunLand saffron has exported saffron to many countries such as Spain, China, Italy, Germany, USA, UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, Vietnam, and other European countries.
