Saffron samples weighed for 2015 Iranian export statistics

Statistics saffron exports in 2015 vary according to which calendar and dataset is being used. UN Comtrade data presented by the World Bank records 113,588 kilograms of Iranian saffron exports in calendar year 2015, worth about US$165.29 million. The original Iranian market report preserved on this page used the Iranian year 1394, a different reporting period, and cited more than 130 tonnes.

Those figures are not necessarily contradictory. A calendar-year total covers January through December 2015. Iranian year 1394 ran roughly from March 2015 to March 2016, so the two periods include different months. Publication timing, later customs revisions and the treatment of particular entries can create further differences. A useful comparison must identify the period before comparing the number.

The calendar-year 2015 export record

The World Bank’s WITS presentation of UN Comtrade data lists Iran’s 2015 gross exports under HS code 091020, the customs classification for saffron. It reports a world total of 113,588 kilograms and a trade value of US$165.289 million.

Dividing the reported value by the quantity gives an average declared unit value of roughly US$1,455 per kilogram. That calculation is a broad trade indicator, not a quoted market price. It blends different grades, pack sizes, destinations and contract terms, and it should not be compared directly with the retail price of a one-gram jar.

Where Iranian saffron went in 2015

The same dataset identifies five leading reported destinations by value and volume:

  • United Arab Emirates: 43,428 kilograms, valued at about US$65.15 million;
  • Spain: 28,815 kilograms, valued at about US$38.77 million;
  • China: 11,558 kilograms, valued at about US$17.58 million;
  • Saudi Arabia: 7,720 kilograms, valued at about US$9.79 million; and
  • Afghanistan: 5,036 kilograms, valued at about US$7.75 million.

Together, the UAE and Spain received more than 72 tonnes in the reported calendar year. Both were important trading and packing centres, so destination data should not automatically be treated as final-consumption data. A shipment recorded to one country may later be packed, blended, branded or re-exported elsewhere.

Why the original report said more than 130 tonnes

The article first published here in May 2016 summarised comments attributed to Ali Hosseini, then a member of Iran’s National Saffron Council. It stated that customs data showed more than 130 tonnes exported during Iranian year 1394. That is the figure readers arriving for the original report expect to find, and it remains part of the historical record.

The interview also said detailed figures for the first three months of the new Iranian year were expected around mid-June. Until that release, the speaker was discussing a market with incomplete current-period data. This matters because an estimate, an early customs release and a later full-year international dataset do not have the same status.

For that reason, the safest reading is straightforward: the 130-tonne statement refers to the Iranian reporting year and source cited in the 2016 interview; the 113,588-kilogram figure refers to calendar-year 2015 in UN Comtrade/WITS. Neither should be silently substituted for the other.

What the interview said about prices

The original market commentary described buyers as cautious. According to Hosseini, some believed the prevailing saffron price was temporarily inflated and were purchasing only what they needed while waiting for a possible decline. He expected prices to remain relatively stable through Ramadan, followed by additional stored saffron entering the market.

That was a forecast made at a particular moment, not a permanent rule about saffron prices. The article did not provide a later price series proving that the predicted fall occurred, so the claim should remain attributed rather than presented as an established outcome. Harvest size, available stocks, exchange rates, export rules, demand and product grade can all affect the traded price.

How to compare saffron export statistics correctly

A single tonnage rarely tells the whole story. Before using a saffron export figure, check five details:

  1. Reporting period: calendar year, Iranian year, harvest year or a partial-year interval.
  2. Product code: confirm that the dataset uses HS 091020 for saffron rather than a broader spice category.
  3. Trade measure: quantity, declared value and average unit value answer different questions.
  4. Reporter and revision: exporter-reported and importer-reported data may differ, and customs records can be revised.
  5. Destination meaning: the first importing market is not always the country where the saffron is finally consumed.

Grade is another important limitation. Customs totals do not tell a buyer whether a shipment was Negin, Sargol, Pushal or another commercial grade, nor do they establish its colour strength, aroma, moisture or purity. Those qualities require the batch specification and appropriate testing, not inference from national export value.

What the 2015 statistics show

Both reporting views point to the same broader conclusion: Iranian saffron was already a substantial international trade in 2015, with a large share moving through regional and European trading centres. The calendar-year dataset offers a reproducible quantity and value; the 2016 interview adds the Iranian-year view and captures how market participants interpreted buying behaviour at the time.

Keeping the periods separate makes the history more useful. Readers comparing later years can use our broader Iran saffron export statistics overview, but each annual figure should still be checked against its original calendar, product code and source before a trend is claimed.

Sources