Only 30% of saffron exported via official channels amid export challenges: Guild head
Gholamreza Miri, head of the Khorasan Razavi Saffron Exporters Union, said in an interview with IRNA published on Friday that despite sanctions and numerous export barriers, only 30% of saffron exports are carried out with the business cards of saffron exporters, and the rest have been done by traders.
“Exporters cannot export to all target countries due to sanctions, so they are forced to give saffron to traders in other countries so that our saffron reaches the customer at the destination, and intermediary traders receive 100 to 150 dollars per kilogram of this product depending on the quality of the saffron,” Miri said.
“In fact, despite sanctions and numerous export barriers, only 30% of these exports are carried out with the business cards of saffron exporters, and the rest are done by other traders.”
Miri underlined that out of 100 million tons of exported saffron, only 30% of is done with the business cards of exporters.
Hailing exports as the economic engine of countries, the union chief said, “These problems have fueled the smuggling of saffron. According to statistics, 10 tons of saffron are smuggled out of the country every month, most of which is low-quality and can, in addition to economic damage, harm the reputation of Iranian saffron in global markets.”
Miri added, “Our exporters have worked for years to maintain the export markets for this product, but smugglers sell saffron in global markets at 25 to 30 percent below the domestic price of this product.”
The official emphasized the necessity of removing export barriers, supporting processors, and reforming currency regulations.
“Despite sanctions, Iran's saffron export markets have expanded from 47 to 71 countries, and undoubtedly, removing these obstacles can pave the way for further export development,” Miri said.
“We hope that by removing export barriers and facilitating exports, our exporters will be able to export saffron using their own business cards, and saffron will no longer fall into the hands of non-Iranian traders, preventing the loss of Iran's export markets.”