Economic Performance of Quality Labeled Saffron in Greece

The aim of this paper is to examine the economic performance of Greek PDO saffron farms by estimating their technical efficiency with the application of DEA methodology. The survey was conducted in 2012-2013 in the PDO designated area of Kozani in Western Macedonia, which is the only area the product is being cultivated. Data were collected with personal interviews by means of a structured questionnaire, from a sample of 100 saffron farms. Results indicate that average technical efficiency under constant returns to scale is 0.627 in the sample and farms could have achieved the same level of output using 37% less inputs.