Afghan saffron has been recognized as the world's highest quality saffron for the ninth time in a global competition by the International Taste Institute based in Belgium.

Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock say that Afghanistan, the world's second-largest saffron producer, is expected to harvest nearly fifty tons of saffron this year.

Sadr Azam Osmani, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, said: "Afghan products have their own standards in the world, but this is the ninth time that Afghan saffron has secured the first position."

According to the ministry, saffron is cultivated in twenty-six provinces of the country, but nearly 90 percent of the country's saffron is harvested in Herat.

A Herat-based export company represented Afghanistan in this competition.

Najibullah Rahmati, the head of the saffron export company, said: "We have been working on this for several years with farmers, processors, and on how to dry it properly, and today we have seen the results."

In the past year, Afghanistan exported nearly thirty tons of saffron worth thirty-five million dollars to India, Saudi Arabia, and several other countries. Currently, the price of each kilogram of saffron in domestic markets is up to 120,000 afghani.

Mohammad Ibrahim Adel, head of the Afghan Saffron Association, said: "A total of 29,570 kilograms of saffron have been exported in the past eight months to countries like India, Spain, and Saudi Arabia."

According to predictions by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, the saffron harvest in Herat is expected to increase to fifty tons this year.

Last year, nearly thirty tons of saffron were harvested in Herat. This year, over eight thousand hectares of land in Herat are are being used to grow saffron.