Saffron export samples beside packaging and customs records

Iranian saffron export prices rose only modestly per kilogram in the 1393 customs figures, even though the total value exported in larger packages increased sharply. For packages above 30 grams, the reported average unit value moved from $1,363.70 to $1,385.80 per kilogram. The much larger 38.55% rise in export value therefore came mainly from greater volume, not a comparable jump in price.

These are historical customs unit values, not today’s wholesale quotation. The article brings together the surviving annual figures and a separate short-period comparison, while keeping the two reporting windows distinct.

What period do the figures cover?

The destination report was published in May 2015 and compares Iranian calendar years 1393 and 1392. Those years overlap roughly with March 2014–March 2015 and March 2013–March 2014. Its figures describe completed annual customs records.

The source article was published later, but its text preserves a shorter customs snapshot comparing one period in 1393 with the corresponding period in 1392. The surviving machine translation appears to refer to a month, yet it does not identify that window reliably enough to name it. Its $10.5 million and $7.0 million values must not be treated as alternative annual totals.

Annual exports in packages above 30 grams

For saffron exported in packages above 30 grams, the 1393 report gives:

  • export value of $84.1 million, up from $60.7 million in 1392;
  • average export unit value of $1,385.80 per kilogram, up from $1,363.70; and
  • a 38.55% increase in total export value.

Value divided by unit value implies about 60.7 tonnes in 1393 and 44.5 tonnes in 1392. On that basis, volume increased by about 36.3%, while the average dollar value per kilogram rose by about 1.6%. The original translation’s rough reference to “0.1 thousand tonnes” is too imprecise to use; the reported value and unit-value pair gives the more internally consistent estimate.

Annual exports in 10–30 gram packages

For the 10–30 gram class, the customs account reports $127.6 million in export value at an average of $1,472.40 per kilogram. In 1392, it gives $119.1 million at $1,467.50 per kilogram.

Those pairs imply approximately 86.7 tonnes in 1393 and 81.2 tonnes in 1392. Export value increased by about 7.1%, volume by about 6.8%, and average unit value by only 0.3%. The old English text says “15.7%” in one sentence, but the two dollar totals support about 7.15%; this is treated as a translation or transcription error rather than repeated as fact.

Together, these two package classes account for about $211.7 million and 147.3 tonnes in the detailed report. They are not presented as Iran’s complete saffron exports because smaller packs and any other national subdivisions are outside those two lines.

Cross-check against UN Comtrade

The official UN Comtrade record for Iran’s 2014 exports reports 158,793.73 kilograms and a value of $227,629,084.85 for HS 091020, saffron, to all partners. Its implied overall unit value is about $1,433.49 per kilogram.

That independent total is larger than the sum of the two package classes above, as expected if additional packaging categories are present. It supports the broad scale of the old customs account, but it cannot verify how Iran allocated every shipment among its national pack-size subdivisions.

What the shorter snapshot adds

The source report shows that the mix could look very different inside a shorter window:

  • 10–30 gram packages generated $10.5 million, compared with $15.9 million in the corresponding 1392 period;
  • the report described declines of 33.62% by weight and 34.27% by value for that class;
  • packages above 30 grams generated $7.0 million, compared with a rounded $0.3 million; and
  • the report recorded increases of 219.20% by weight and 2,478.87% by value for the larger-pack class.

The rounded $7.0 million and $0.3 million figures do not reproduce the quoted 2,478.87% exactly. That percentage probably used more precise underlying values, but the surviving page does not provide them. Both the rounded values and the reported percentage are retained with that limitation disclosed.

Why export value and export price are different

Total export value is the amount recorded for all shipments in a category. Unit value divides that amount by the recorded quantity. A category can therefore produce a large value increase when more saffron moves, even if the value per kilogram changes very little. That is exactly what the annual above-30-gram figures suggest.

A customs unit value is also an average, not a price list. It can combine grades, thread types, pack formats, destinations and contract terms. Laboratory quality, moisture, grading, order size, payment terms, insurance and delivery responsibility can all make an individual commercial offer differ from the historical average.

How to use these saffron export prices today

The figures are useful for understanding Iran’s export mix in 1392–1393 and for checking claims about that period. They should not be used as a 2025 or 2026 price per kilogram. A current buyer needs a dated quotation that defines grade, test specification, net weight, packaging, Incoterm, destination and payment terms.

Exporters should also confirm the current code and documentary requirements for the shipment. Our guide to the rules for exporting saffron explains why those checks need to be repeated for each route and dispatch date.

The clean conclusion from the historical data is narrower than the original headline implied: average saffron export prices edged upward, while changing shipment volumes and package classes drove most of the movement in total value.