TEHRAN (ISNA)- Iran produces 94 percent of saffron in the world, said Secretary of Developing Herbal Medicine Technology Headquarters Mohammad-Hassan Osareh.

He said that 94 percent of saffron of the world are produced in Iran, adding last year Spain started saffron production only in a 800.000 hectare land, but then stopped the process because it failed to produce certain effective material of the plant.

Saffron is a labor-intensive crop which needs 250,000 flimsy crimson red strands to be plucked laboriously by hand from about 75,000 crocus blooms to make a pound.

The flowers must be picked early in the morning before the scent is lost to the heat of the day and then dried. Saffron production employs as many as 100,000 Iranians either directly or indirectly in the country of 80 million.

By ISNA