Iran exported 4.86 million tons of agricultural and food products worth $2.99 billion in the first eight months of the current Iranian year (March 21-Nov. 21), new data released by the Agriculture Ministry show.
The figures indicate a decline of 11.02% in tonnage and 11.8% in value compared with last year's corresponding period.
Pistachio topped the list of exports in terms of value with $229.9 million. Tomato was the second major agricultural export product in terms of value with $193.28 million, followed by milk powder worth $192.54 million, watermelon worth $174.35 million and dates worth $129.04 million.
In terms of tonnage, watermelon topped the list with 799,720 tons, tomato with 413,500 tons, followed by onion, shallot and garlic with 268,760 tons, apple with 260,330 tons and Persian melon with 259,070 tons.
Agronomic products accounted for 3.3 million tons worth $1.1 billion of total exports, down 7.69% and 11.18% in terms of tonnage and value respectively.
Horticultural exports amounted to 1 million tons worth $1.05 million, down 26.93% in terms of tonnage and down 33.64% in value respectively.
Exports of livestock and poultry products reached 454,950 tons worth $615.95 million, up 7.35% in tonnage and up 52.56% in value.
The veterinary sector exported 526 tons of products worth $3.73 million, down 19.64% and 44.92% in weight and value respectively.
The fisheries sector exported 86,360 tons worth $199.68 million, posting a rise of 17.64% and 49.89% in total volume and value respectively.
Exports from the forest and rangeland sector hit 11,680 tons worth $15,430 million, down 0.2% in terms of tonnage and down 8.77% in terms of value, respectively.
Iran exported 8.5 million tons of agricultural and food products worth $5.23 billion in the fiscal 2021-22 (ended March 20) and 8.83 million tons worth $6.21 billion in the year before.
Iran’s 15 neighboring countries were the destinations of 89% of the country’s agricultural and food exports in terms of tonnage during the last Iranian year (March 2021-22), according to a customs expert, Rouhollah Latifi, IRIB News reported.
“Iraq alone accounted for 37% of Iran’s total exports,” he said, adding that more than 65% of Iran’s imports are agrifood products.
Neighbors imported 7.6 million tons from Iran’s total 8.5 million tons of agrifood exports last year.
Iraq was the biggest importer with 3.238 million tons. Among neighboring countries, Iraq was followed by the UAE with 1.74 million tons, Afghanistan with 832,000 tons, Turkey with 269,000 tons, Azerbaijan with 207,000 tons, Armenia with 81,000 tons, Turkmenistan with 203,000 tons, Russia with 634,000 tons, Pakistan with 507,000 tons, Qatar with 190,000 tons, Oman with 171,000 tons, Kazakhstan with 120,000 tons, Kuwait with 73,000 tons and Bahrain with 3,122 tons. Exports to Saudi Arabia were insignificant.
Agrifood imports stood at 15.92 million tons worth $11.63 billion during the eight-month period under the Agriculture Ministry review, indicating a 21.34% fall in weight but a 4.32% rise in value year-on-year.
Corn worth $2.03 billion had the biggest share of imports in terms of value, followed by rice worth $1.62 billion, wheat worth $1.34 billion, GM soybeans worth $1.25 billion and different kinds of oil worth $1.57 million.
In terms of tonnage, corn topped imports with 51.01 million tons, followed by wheat with 3.09 million tons, followed by GM soybeans with 1.61 million tons, rice with 1.33 million tons and unrefined sugar with 1.02 tons.
Agronomic products accounted for 14.84 million tons worth $9.51 billion of total imports, down 22.57% in weight, but up 2.1% in value YOY.
Horticultural products stood at 948,780 tons worth $1.44 billion, down 2.13% in tonnage, but a rise of 21.71% in value YOY.
Imports of livestock and poultry products hit 122,170 tons worth $386.05 million, up 25.69% and 20.60% in tonnage and value, respectively.
The veterinary sector imported 5,546 tons worth $225.34 million, up 44.6% in tonnage, but down 14.61% in terms of value.
Imports by the fisheries sector amounted to 6,740 tons worth $19.96 million, down 15.25% and 3.36% in tonnage and value respectively.
The forest and rangeland sector's imports totaled 18,380 tons worth $39.89 million, down 21.34% in tonnage, but up 4.32% in value.
The export and import volumes indicate that Iran recorded an agrifood trade deficit of 11.06 million tons in tonnage and $8.63 billion in value during the period under review.
