This is the first of a monthly note on the saffron trade, written from Lynn, Massachusetts by someone who buys from Herat and sells in the United States. It uses published figures with their sources listed at the end, and it says plainly where a number is an estimate. It is meant for buyers, cooks and the curious rather than for traders, so it explains as it goes.
Afghan saffron trade report
September 2026
Where the world's saffron grew last season, what Afghanistan exported and earned, why the US retail price spread runs from under $5 to over $20 a gram, and what that means for someone buying a bottle this autumn.
Where the flowers grew
| Origin | Latest annual figure | Season | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | 300+ tonnes | 2025 | Roughly nine tenths of world output. US sanctions restrict direct import into the United States. |
| Afghanistan | 41 tonnes produced, 38 exported | 2025 | Export value about $67.5 million. Herat province is the center of production. |
| India (Kashmir) | 19.58 tonnes | 2024 to 2025 | Down from 23.53 tonnes the season before. |
| Spain | about 15 tonnes | 2025 | La Mancha; much of what is sold as Spanish is packed, not grown, in Spain. |
| Greece (Kozani) | 6 to 12 tonnes | recent seasons | Protected designation of origin, weather dependent. |
| Morocco (Taliouine) | about 6 tonnes | 2024 to 2025 | Up from 5 tonnes the year before. |
Tonnage figures are as published by the sources below; seasons differ by country. Afghan export figures are from the January 2026 government release reported by Xinhua and Tawazon.
What the numbers mean for a US buyer
Our position
We buy from one growers' cooperative in the Herat highlands, test each harvest before we commit to it, and publish the report. The current lot, report 004389, reads crocin 296.5, picrocrocin 114.2, safranal 32.7. The next report will appear on the press page when the new lot is tested, and this note will say what it found.
The lot in every bottle
Our current lot carries Herat government laboratory report 004389: crocin 296.5, picrocrocin 114.2, safranal 32.7, artificial colorants absent. ISO 3632 Category I on every tested parameter. We test each harvest before we buy it, so a lot that fails is a lot we never own.
Read the full reportSources
Xinhua, 9 January 2026: Afghanistan saffron exports 2025
https://english.news.cn/20260109/157ea6d328684df7bc6c4e9ca2511cd7/c.html
Tawazon: Afghan saffron production and export
Kashmir Observer, 18 February 2026: Kashmir saffron output
https://kashmirobserver.net/2026/02/18/kashmir-saffron-crash-23-53-%E2%86%92-19-58-metric-tonnes/
Iran Open Data: Iran saffron production
https://iranopendata.org/en/article/257-iran-saffron-slump-from-world-leader-to-bulk-supplier/
European Commission PDO register: Krokos Kozanis
Morocco World News, November 2024: Taliouine saffron
Essfeed: top saffron-producing countries
https://essfeed.com/top-10-saffron-producing-countries-in-the-world/
