The five-year ban on import of olives aimed at supporting local farmers will remain in place as production is expected to reach 120,000 tons by the yearend (March 2017), 20,000 tons more than last year, according to the Agriculture Ministry. Meanwhile, the National Olive Council says more than 7,000 tons of olive oil are smuggled into Iran every year. According to the International Olive Council, Iran is a major olive producer, ranking 11th out of 43 major olive producers across the world. Leading olive growing regions in Iran include Fars, Kerman, Hormozgan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Qazvin, Gilan, Golestan and Zanjan provinces.
