A total of 1.9 million tons of sugar beet are estimated to be produced on over 34,000 hectares in West Azarbaijan Province this year, making it the biggest producer of the crop in Iran.
“In West Azarbaijan, a province with a cold climate, sugar beet is cultivated in spring and harvested in autumn. So far this year, 250,000 tons of the product worth 1.8 trillion rials [$5.7 million] have been purchased from local farmers,” Ali Eidi, agronomical affairs manager of West Azarbaijan Agricultural Organization, was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Around 5 million tons of sugar beet are produced in Iran every year and West Azarbaijan accounts for 38% of the total sum.
“There are five sugar beet processing factories in Urmia, Khoy, Piranshahr, Miandoab and Naqadeh counties of the province with an annual nominal processing capacity of more than 2 million tons. A sixth factory is being built in Mahabad County, which has made 80% progress. Once completed, this new factory can process 500,000 tons of sugar beet per year,” he said.
Eidi noted that Piranshahr with 14,300 hectares, Miandoab with 3,400 hectares, Naqadeh with 3,100 hectares and Bukan with 3,000 hectares top the list of West Azarbaijan counties with the highest area under sugar beet cultivation.
Sugar beet is used to produce sugar and sugar cubes. The bagasse (dry pulp residue), apart from being a livestock feed, is used in the alcohol production industry.
West Azarbaijan Province, located in the Iranian northwest, where farmlands yield more than 6 million tons of agricultural products every year, is considered the country’s sixth biggest producer of the crop.
Apart from sugar beet, more than 1.1 million tons of apples, 700,000 tons of wheat and 150,000 tons of stone fruits (drupes) are produced in the northwestern Iranian province every year.
Agriculture accounts for 32.8% and 25% of West Azarbaijan's employment and annual generated value added respectively, while the national average agricultural employment and value added generation stand at 18% and 13% respectively.
