Khorasan Razavi - Iran is developing a traceability system in northeastern Khorasan Razavi province to verify saffron authenticity, strengthen quality control and track the product from farm to market using barcodes and QR codes.

 

Majid Jafari, head of the provincial Agriculture Organization, said the saffron certification scheme would be implemented through the end of Iran’s Seventh Development Plan.

 

The system will record and monitor production data at every stage, from cultivation and flower processing to grading and laboratory quality testing, allowing the product’s origin and quality information to be traced throughout the supply chain.

 

Khorasan Razavi, one of Iran’s leading saffron-producing provinces, has around 96,000 hectares under cultivation. Drought, reduced rainfall and extreme summer heat, however, lowered production to approximately 190 tons of dried saffron last agricultural year, Jafari said.

 

He noted that day-night temperature fluctuations, prolonged heat and the timing of autumn rainfall can significantly affect flowering and yields.

 

The traceability initiative, alongside climate-informed farm management, is intended to improve saffron quality, reduce production risks and strengthen consumer confidence in Iranian saffron.