Drought in Iran’s Saffron Reserves
The Financial Times, in a report, examined the impacts of climate change on Iran’s saffron industry and predicted that this year’s total saffron production would decrease from 400 tons to about 170 tons.
These severe climate changes have halved saffron production in its largest source, Torbat-e Jam.
According to producers, the water shortage has had a profound impact on the saffron production industry, leading to a significant decrease in yield and pushing the price of the world’s most expensive spice to its highest level.
The director of the Torbat-e Jam Saffron Exchange also states that the winter frost followed by the dry spring and summer, when temperatures reached 50 degrees Celsius, has had a devastating impact on the northeastern region of Iran, completely drying up all 2,000 local surface wells.
Farmers in the Khorasan region, which includes Torbat-e Jam, say that this year’s performance will be less than half of that in 2022.