The cost of saffron, one of the most expensive spices in the world, has reached a historical high. This is due to a drop in yields in Iran, which is the world's largest producer of spices, writes snob.ru with reference to Financial Time.
Novin Saffron CEO Ali Shariati-Moghaddam said Iran's total saffron production will drop from nearly 400 tons to 170 tons due to changing weather conditions and water shortages.
As a result, the price of saffron on the Iranian domestic market has risen to 1.4 thousand USD per kilogram, which is double the price in 2022. At the same time, suppliers reported an increase in the cost abroad to 1.8 thousand dollars per kilogram.
Saffron is an orange spice and food coloring obtained from the dried stigmas of saffron flowers (Crocus sativus).
The high cost of saffron is explained by the labor-intensive nature of production: one flower produces only three stigmas. To obtain one kilogram of saffron, it is necessary to manually collect and dry the stigmas of more than 200 thousand flowers. 92% of the world's saffron crop is harvested in Iran.