Editing Saffron (section)

===Harvesting===
[[File:Saffron-sargol-zafaranic.jpg|thumb|Sargol saffron, the strongest Iranian grade]]
The high retail value of saffron is maintained on world markets because of labour-intensive harvesting methods, which require some {{convert|200000|/lb|/kg|order=flip|disp=preunit|stigmas|hand-picked saffron stigmas }} – equivalently, {{convert|70000|/lb|/kg|order=flip|disp=preunit|flowers|crocus flowers }}.<ref name=hooker/><ref name="cnn">{{cite news |last=Monks |first=Keiron |date=3 September 2015 |title=Iran's homegrown treasure: the spice that costs more than gold |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/03/middleeast/iran-saffron-red-gold/ |newspaper=CNN |access-date=22 January 2016}}</ref>{{Sfn|Hill|2004|p=273}}{{Sfn|Rau|1969|p=35}} Forty hours of labour are needed to pick 150,000 flowers.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lak |first=Daniel |date=11 November 1998 |title=Kashmiris pin hopes on saffron |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/212491.stm |access-date=11 September 2011}}</ref>

One freshly picked crocus flower yields on average 30&nbsp;mg of fresh saffron or 7&nbsp;mg dried; roughly 150 flowers yield {{Convert|1|g|oz|frac=32|abbr=on}} of dry saffron threads; to produce {{Convert|12|g|oz|frac=16|abbr=on}} of dried saffron, {{Convert|1|lb|g|order=flip|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} of flowers are needed; the yield of dried spice from fresh saffron is only {{convert|0.2|oz/lb|g/kg|order=flip|abbr=on}}.{{Sfn|Deo|2003|p=3}}