The number of Iran's export markets for its agricultural products is shrinking by the day, Agriculture Ministry’s caretaker, Abbas Keshavarz, has warned.
"We have already lost the European markets and only Afghanistan, Iraq and Azerbaijan are currently the main customers of Iran’s agro products," he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
The official noted that aside from pistachio and saffron, of which Iran is the world's biggest producer, exports of other agricultural commodities like dates, apples, milk and vegetables are not economically viable for Iranian exporters.
“More than 3.58 million tons of agrifood products worth over $2.79 billion were exported from Iran during the first seven months of the current Iranian year (March 21-Oct. 22). This accounts for 11.42% of Iran’s total non-oil exports during the period,” Abdolmehdi Bakhshandeh, deputy agriculture minister for planning and economic affairs, said.
“Iran’s main export destinations were Iraq, Afghanistan, the UAE, Pakistan, Russia, India, Turkey, Vietnam, Turkmenistan and Germany,” he was quoted as saying by ILNA.
The official noted that 871,000 tons of gourd vegetables, 400,000 tons of fresh and processed tomatoes, 263,000 tons of onions and shallot, 201,000 tons of fresh and processed potatoes and 114,000 tons of apples were the main exported agricultural products in terms of weight.
Dairy products worth $320 million, pistachios $291 million, gourd vegetables $271 million, fresh and processed tomatoes $239 million and saffron worth $107 million were the main exported products in terms of value.
Bakhshandeh noted that 2.56 million tons of agronomical crops worth $1.27 billion had the largest share in terms of weight and value in exports.
“The lion’s share of exports in agronomical products pertained to1.32 million tons of vegetables worth $655 million. The main exported vegetables were gourd vegetables with 871,000 tons worth $271 million, fresh and processed tomatoes with 400,000 tons worth $239 million, fresh and processed potatoes with 201,000 tons worth $95 million, onions and shallot with 263,000 tons worth $131 million, and medicinal plants with 31,000 tons worth $23 million,” he said.
The second subcategory with the largest share in agrifood exports was horticultural products that reached 595,000 tons worth $950 million.
The main exported products here, according to Bakhshandeh, were pistachios with 34,000 tons worth $291 million, saffron with 101 tons worth $107 million, dates with 84,000 tons worth $75 million, apples with 114,000 tons worth $69 million and grapes with 52,000 tons worth $65 million.
In addition, 4,000 tons of tea worth $4 million were exported during the seven months.
The third subcategory with the biggest share in Iran’s agrifood exports was livestock products with 354,000 tons worth around $453 million tons.
“Exports of milk and dairy products amounted to 267,000 tons worth $320 million. The main exported products in this subcategory were 45,000 tons of cheese and dried whey worth $91 million, 63,000 tons of milk and cream worth $79 million, 25,000 tons of ice-cream worth $61 million, 123,000 tons of yoghurt worth $69 million. Also, 23,000 tons of eggs and 22,000 tons of Iranian chicken worth $34 million and $23 million respectively were exported during the period,” Bakhshandeh said.
The subcategories of fisheries with 58,000 tons, forests and ranges with 9,000 tons and veterinary medicine with 110 tons had a $106 million, $15 million and $1 million share in the country’s agrifood exports respectively.
According to former agriculture minister, Mahmoud Hojjati, Iran meets 85% of its demand for agricultural products domestically and the remaining 15% are provided through imports.
According to the minister, $80 billion worth of agricultural products are produced in Iran annually, $75 billion of which are consumed domestically.
Director General of the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade's Food, Medicine and Toiletries Industries Department Mehdi Sadeqi Niyaraki said 95% of Iran’s food industry are owned by the private sector, noting that the sector accounts for 15% of the country’s industrial employment.
Iran ranks among top 10 producers of many horticultural products, including but not limited to pistachios, dates, apples, cherries, pomegranates and grapes, in the world.
According to Central Bank of Iran Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati, the agriculture sector registered the highest growth rate of +9.5% during the first half of the current Iranian year (March 21-Sept. 22).
With 6.5%, the agriculture sector also saw the highest growth among Iran's economic sectors in Q1, as the rate for last year's corresponding period stood at 0.3%.
The significant boost in agricultural production owes largely to abundant rainfall at the beginning of the year, which led to increased yields.
"Growth in the agriculture sector has saved the Iranian economy over the past two years," Keshavarz said.
