Mazandaran has exported fifty 20-ton containers per day of citrus fruits since Sept. 22 (which marks the beginning of the seventh Iranian month), registering a 25% growth year-on-year, says an official with the agricultural organization of the province.
Noting that 150,000 tons of citrus fruits were exported from the northern province from Oct. 23, 2019, to May 21, 2020, Hadi Izadi also said Russia and Iraq are the main export destinations of the province’s citrus fruits among neighboring countries, IRNA reported.
“Some 240,000 tons of citrus fruits are estimated to be exported in the current year [March 2020-21], which would be 60% more than last year,” he said.
Izadi put the export turnover of the current year’s citrus fruits at 25,000 billion rials ($96 million) and said Thomson Navel oranges and Satsuma mandarins account for the largest part of citrus fruit exports of the province.
He also projected a 10% rise in citrus fruit production and said more than 2.7 million tons of citrus fruits are expected to be harvested this year.
Mazandaran accounts for 1.5% of Iran’s land area and 2.5% of agricultural land, while its agricultural output tops 7 million tons per annum.
The province exported 342,000 tons of kiwis and oranges worth $200 million in the last Iranian year that ended on March 19, 2020.
According to Mehdi Golchoob, a local official, kiwi exports stood at 158,000 tons worth $111 million to register a 12% and 17% rise in tonnage and value respectively compared to the year before.
Orange exports stood at 184,000 tons worth $89 million, indicating a 138% and 104% year-on-year increase in tonnage and value respectively.
Located in the north of Iran along the Caspian Sea, Mazandaran accounts for about 80% of Iran's kiwi production and half of citrus fruit output.
