Iran ranks first in the world by producing over 90 percent of the saffron consumed in all countries, said an official from the Agricultural Ministry here yesterday.

Some 85 percent of Iran's saffron is annually exported to other countries, the official said.

Iran produces $40 million of saffron annually, he added. He further said that saffron is used as a main raw material in 35-40 percent of the drugs produced in Europe. In Iran this valuable product is used in just two percent of domestically-produced drugs.