TEHRAN, (PNA/Xinhua) — Iran’s saffron exports fell 7 percent in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21- Sept. 22) compared with the exports in the same period last year, Tehran Times daily reported on Wednesday.
The chairman of Iranian Saffron Exporters Association, Gholamreza Miri, said the 60-percent price hike and the export limits were the reasons behind this drop.
On Monday, the Iranian Customs Administration announced that it has removed the duties on saffron exports. The move is aimed at increasing the exports of saffron significantly.
The secretary of the Iranian National Saffron Council, Farshid Manouchehri, had said earlier that Iran’s saffron exports would increase by 15 percent in the current Iranian calendar year.
Iran exported 126 tons of saffron, valued at 384 million U.S. dollars, in the past Iranian calendar year, said Manouchehri.