Nat’l Center of Genetic, Biological Resources of Iran Introduces 6 New Species of Saffron Genus
“Apart from cultivated saffron species, there are 23 other species of this genus in Iran, of which 18 species are exclusive to Iran and 5 other species have limited distribution,” said Alireza Dolatyari, a faculty member of the National Center for Genetic and Biological Resources of Iran.
Noting that the 5 species are distributed only in Iran and the neighboring countries, he said, “Over 30 days of fieldwork and cooperation with international experts and a fundamental review of the botanical status of the species of this genus in Iran was carried out.”
“As a result of the plan, 6 new species of this genus were introduced to the world from Iran,” Dolatyari said.
A senior Iranian official announced in September that the value of Iran’s saffron exports has increased 52% in the first five months of the current Persian calendar year (March 21-August 22, 2023) compared to the same period last year.
Spokesman of the International Relations and Trade Development Committee of Iran's House of Industry, Mining and Trade Rouhollah Latifi said that the Iranian saffron farmers exported 81.521 tons of the product valued at about $88 million in the first five months of the current Iranian year which shows 66% increase compared to the same period last year.
He added that the Iranian saffron was exported to 47 world states in the same period.
China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Spain, Qatar, and Afghanistan were the top five destinations for Iranian saffron, Latifi said.
He added that Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Belgium, Canada, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Australia, Taiwan, Sweden, Turkey, Malaysia, Switzerland, Russia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Mauritius, Singapore, Thailand, Norway, Romania, Japan, Bangladesh, Austria, South Africa, Pakistan, Philippines, New Zealand, Jordan, Indonesia, Croatia, Brazil, Ireland, Denmark, South Korea, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia were also among the importers of Iran’s saffron.
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