BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 14
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
The saffron production in Iran is growing by about 10-15 percent every year because the cultivation area for saffron is growing, member of Iran's National Saffron Council Ali Hosseini told Mehr news agency, Trend reports.
He added that Iran is expected to produce 500 tons of saffron in the current Iranian year (began March 20, 2020).
Hosseini emphasized that Iran's saffron exports have dropped sharply since the spread of the coronavirus in Iran.
"However, Iran exported 200-300 tons of saffron a year," he said.
Hosseini said that at present, the minimum price of 1 kg of saffron in Iran is 65 million rials (about $1,547), and the maximum price is 105 million rials (about $2,500).
Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 259,600 people have been infected 13,032 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 222,500 have reportedly recovered from the disease.
The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease.
The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.
The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.