Saffron is so expensive because it is extremely labor-intensive to harvest, requires a vast number of flowers, and only a small part of each flower—the stigmas—is used. It takes around 75,000 saffron flowers to produce just one pound of saffron spice, and all the harvesting must be done by hand to carefully pick the delicate stigmas. Additionally, saffron grows in limited regions with specific climate and soil requirements, which limits its supply. This combination of high labor, small yield, and limited growing conditions drives its high cost.

Key Factors Making Saffron Expensive

• Labor-Intensive Harvesting: The stigma, or red threads, must be hand-picked carefully, and no machinery can substitute this delicate process.

• Large Quantity of Flowers Needed: Each flower produces only three stigmas, and about 75,000 flowers are needed to make one pound of spice.

• Limited Growing Regions: Saffron requires specific climate and soil conditions found only in certain parts of the world such as Iran, Spain, India, and a few other countries.

• Short and Precise Harvest Season: The flowers bloom for a short time and harvesting must be timed precisely to collect the stigmas.

These factors together make saffron the most expensive spice in the world.