<Tr> <Td> Producing nations: </Td> <Td> major </Td> <Td> minor </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Trading centres: </Td> <Td> present </Td> <Td> past </Td> </Tr> <P> Almost all saffron grows in a belt bounded by the Mediterranean in the west and mountainous Kashmir in the east . All other continents except Antarctica produce smaller amounts . In 1991, Some 300 t (300,000 kg) of whole threads and powder are gleaned yearly, of which 50 t (50,000 kg) is top - grade "coupe" saffron . Iran is by far the world's most important producer: in 2005 it grossed some 230 tonnes (230,000 kg) of dry threads, or 93.7 percent of the year's global total mass; much of the Iranian crop was bound for export . In the same year, second - ranked Greece produced 5.7 t (5,700.0 kg). Morocco and India Most of the region's saffron is grown in the more climatically suitable "Vale of Kashmir", which is administered in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir; region of Kashmir, tied as the next - highest producers, each produced 2.3 t (2,300.0 kg). In decreasing order, Iran, Greece, Morocco, the Kashmir region in India, Azerbaijan, Spain, and Italy dominate the world harvest . </P> <P> In Iran, the world's leading producer, the erstwhile and northeasterly Khorasan Province, which in 2004 was divided in three, grows 95 percent of Iranian saffron: the hinterlands of Birjand, Ghayen, Ferdows in South Khorasan Province, along with areas abutting Gonabad and Torbat - e Heydarieh in Razavi Khorasan Province, are its key cropping areas . Afghanistan has resumed cultivation in recent years; in restive Kashmir it has waned . Despite numerous cultivation efforts in such countries as Austria, England, Germany, and Switzerland, only select locales continue the harvest in northern and central Europe . Among these is the small Swiss village of Mund, in the Valais canton, whose annual saffron output amounts to several kilograms . Microscale cultivation occurs in Tasmania, China, Egypt, France, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Turkey (especially Safranbolu), California, and Central Africa . </P>

Which country tops the world in the production of saffron