Tehran, Iran, May 13
By Kamyar Eghbalnejad - Trend:
A Dutch company has reached an agreement with Iran to run a project to increase saffron harvest in north eastern city of Mashhad.
Robert van der Tang, head of Flowerbulbs-online company, who will carry out the project told Trend that project, namely Symbiosis, is going to increase the yield of saffron by 300 percent.
He further said that the initial works, such as studies, experimental crops and feasibility studies had been done.
Van Der Tang further forecasted that Iran’s vegetable and plant market will witness growth in the future.
“I think today, the most important problem in the field of agriculture and plants in Iran is lack of water and the next problem with plant and agriculture products trade is quarantine laws in Iran's customs, which should be simplified to facilitate trade,” he added.
Iran exported more than 236 tons of saffron, worth $325 million in the last fiscal year (ended March 20), which indicates a growth of 55 percent in terms of volume and 56 percent in terms of value, year-on-year.
Some 90 percent of the world’s saffron is grown in arid fields in Iran. Saffron is not just grown in Iran. Close to 95 percent of Iranian saffron are grown in the two provinces of South Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi in northeastern Iran.
It’s also grown in Morocco, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Afghanistan, India, and even in the United States. However, the saffron produced in Iran is said to have the world’s highest quality.