Cracked earth in Greece's saffron heartland as drought takes toll

But beneath the beautiful flowers, which can fetch five to nine euros ($5.45-9.8) for a single gramme, the earth is cracked and parched after uncommonly long periods of drought, taking a toll on the crop's yield. "We haven't had a good dose of rain in our area since May," sighed veteran saffron farmer Grigoris Tzidimopoulos. After the warmest winter and summer since detailed records began in 1960, Greece has now experienced its driest month of October in the last 15 years, according to the national observatory.