Gilan Province has exported $461 million worth of non-oil commodities since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2020), with agricultural products accounting for 41% of the sum.
“Most of Gilan’s agricultural products are exported as raw material. There is shortage of processing and packaging industries in the province, which deprives Gilani farmers and businesspeople of higher profits,” Gilan Governor General Arsalan Zare’ was quoted as saying by IRNA.
The official noted that by setting up processing and packaging industries, using modern irrigation methods and increasing crop yields, the agriculture sector has the capacity to create 2,700 more jobs in Glian.
With more than 438,000 hectares of agricultural land, the northern province’s output of agronomical, horticultural, livestock and seafood products stands at 3 million tons worth 172 trillion rials ($747 million) per year.
Gilan is one of the main producers of rice, tea, hazelnut, peanut, olive, silk cocoons, bony fish, kiwi and cottonwood in Iran.
Besides agricultural products, Gilan also exports minerals and plastic products.
Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Afghanistan and Iraq are the main destination of exports from the northern province.
In fact, Iran’s trade with Eurasian countries is mainly carried out through Gilan.
Gilan is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It lies along the Caspian Sea, west of the province of Mazandaran, east of the province of Ardabil, and north of the provinces of Zanjan and Qazvin. It borders the Republic of Azerbaijan in the north and Russia across the Caspian Sea.
The province is home to the two major ports of Astara and Anzali.
