He said: Saffron has always been the focus of profit seekers wishing to cash in on the commercial prosperity of this product.
In order to reduce production cost by using different organic and mineral materials, these people usually cheat and sell fake saffron colored or mixed with pure saffron with inappropriate quality and quantity and put it in the market and also endanger the people's health.
Miri said: According to information obtained in recent days, 200 kilos of counterfeit saffron were discovered and seized at the Khorasan Razavi Customs Department.
Regarding this news, he said: I heard this news from my colleagues and yet, no official contact has been established by Customs with the Saffron Exporters Union as the custodian of Iranian saffron exports to this regard.
Gholamreza Miri added: The Department of Standards and Customs is directly responsible for monitoring Iranian saffron exports, and we, as a union, have no role in the saffron export process.
Miri continued: According to international audits, the Standards Department issues standard permits and product exit permits from the country's customs.
The need to intensify customs control throughout the territory
The Chairman of the Saffron Exporters Union said regarding the need to intensify inspections at the customs office: Considering that Khorasan is the hub of saffron production in the country, it is possible that inspections at the customs office of Khorasan are accurate and complete. but will this inspection be carried out at other exit points from the country such as Tehran? Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz, Kerman and other country customs are also accurate?
Miri added: These inspections must be carried out in an integrated manner and at all official exit points in the country, and this requirement does not only concern Khorasan Customs.
He said: It is necessary to find appropriate solutions to remove export barriers as well as ways to prevent counterfeit exports by organizing specialized meetings with those responsible.
In answer to the question: why is the price of saffron cheaper in the Persian Gulf market than inside the country? He said: Iran is the largest producer of saffron in the world, but our market share of this product is low due to internal and external restrictions.
He said: Saffron smuggling and the combination of exported saffron with fake saffron by some profiteers has made Iranian saffron on the world market in some cases up to 30% lower than the price we buy from domestic farmers and to the entry of these fake saffron in the name of Iran Global markets, while endangering the brand of Iranian saffron in the world, poses many problems for legal exporters, including the loss of their export markets.
Miri said: “Unfortunately, with the current situation, at least 10 tonnes of saffron are smuggled out of the country every month. For example, in the last two months, compared to November and December last year, we had eight tons of saffron. drop in tonnes of saffron exports during each of these months.
However, the consumption of saffron has increased in the countries, which shows that the reason for the smuggling of this product in our country lies in the export barriers.
We hope that the sale of foreign exchange will be included on the government's agenda.
The president of the saffron exporters union stressed: the government should oblige the exporter to import foreign exchange into the country for the quantity of saffron he wishes to export, and the exporter undertakes to return the foreign exchange, and s 'he does not comply, the government of course we will consider fines, because so far saffron has been taken out of the country for legal reasons, its currency has returned to the country.
He added: The demand of the exporter is that the currency obtained through export be sold at an agreed price in order to finally prevent the smuggling of this product.
Without a doubt, saffron has found a special place in the world in recent years  , but unfortunately, the saffron smuggled out of the country is not of high quality, and this aspect of the country's saffron in global markets is gradually becoming tarnished.
He continued: In the current situation, the price of saffron in global markets is about 30% different and lower than that of saffron purchased from the farmer, and the reason is that the saffron supplied to the target countries is bad quality. and false.
In effect, brokers and smugglers have taken the competitive power from the exporter, and the customer, who has no knowledge of this market, thinks that we are selling saffron at a high price.
This question has now become a dilemma for the exporter.
Miri stressed: We ask the government to sell the currency obtained from export on the market, because it supported the exporter in the discussion on the removal of the virtual tax rate on water, in order to extend the exports.
He said: Smuggling 10 tons of very poor quality and sometimes counterfeit saffron harms the position of Iranian saffron and does not benefit the country's government and economy.