The total commercial capacity of the ports of northern Mazandaran Province stands at 13 million tons, of which Amirabad accounts for 7.5 million tons, Noshahr 4.5 million tons and Fereydounkenar 1 million tons.
Ali Yousefi-Manesh, the director general of Noshahr Customs, also told Mehr News Agency that Mazandaran’s foreign trade exceeded 3.45 million tons worth $1.09 billion in the fiscal 2020-21, of which exports accounted for 745,000 tons worth $181 million and imports accounted for 2.7 million tons worth $917 million.
The first quarter of the current Iranian year saw Mazandaran handle 252,000 tons of exports, $55 million worth of goods were exported to 34 countries and 785,000 tons of goods worth $323 million were imported during the period.
“Dairy products, cement, agricultural products, minerals, rubber and kiwi were among the goods exported to 37 countries, including Russia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and the UAE, in the three months. Twenty-two types of goods, including barley, corn, oilseeds and wheat, were imported from 28 countries, namely Russia, the UAE, Turkey, Germany and Kazakhstan,” the official added.
Notably, a total of 250,000 tons of citrus fruits were exported from Mazandaran Province during the last Iranian year, showing a 60% rise compared with the year before, according to the manager of the Horticultural Affairs Department with Mazandaran Agricultural Organization.
“Our main export destinations over the period were Russia and Iraq,” Hadi Izadi was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
The official noted that last year’s citrus fruit production in Mazandaran was more than 2.7 million tons, which was 10% higher than the previous year.
“At present, there are 500 sorting units with a capacity of handling 250,000 tons of citrus fruits, 119 cold storage facilities with a 473-ton capacity and 148 warehouse units with a storage capacity of 381 tons of such fruits in the province. This increased exports and reduced the volume of fruit wasted every year,” he added.
Mazandaran’s citrus fruit orchards stretch across 112,000 hectares of the province, 110,000 hectares of which currently bear fruit. Out of the total figure close to 80,000 hectares and 30,000 hectares have undergone orange and tangerine cultivation and on the rest lemons, limes and bitter oranges are produced.
Mazandaran’s Potentials
According to Hossein Negahdar, the deputy head of Mazandaran Agricultural Organization, the northern province accounts for around 23% of the country’s total employment in the agriculture sector.
Mazandaran Province, located in northern Iran along the Caspian Sea, cultivates 72 kinds of products, the annual yields of which amount to nearly 7 million tons. The province accounts for only 2.5% of Iran’s arable land, yet produces 7% and 11% of the country’s agricultural products in terms of weight and value respectively per year.
According to Hosseinali Qovanlou, a local official, food industries account for 42% of the province’s production units, which have thrived despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
With 150,000 hectares of orchards, Mazandaran is the top fruit producer of Iran.
A total of 200,000 tons of agricultural products were exported from Mazandaran in the fiscal 2019-20, indicating a 100% hike compared with the previous year.
The province also ranks first to third in the production of rice, chicken, dairy and seafood.
Iran’s total exports to Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan stood over 1.02 million tons worth $329 million during the first quarter of the current fiscal year (March 21-June 21).
According to Rouhollah Latifi, the spokesperson of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, more than 300,941 tons of goods worth $135.39 million were exported to Russia in Q1, 194,800 tons worth $86.39 million to Azerbaijan, 399,000 tons worth $69 million to Turkmenistan and 129,000 tons worth $38 million were exported to Kazakhstan.
“Imports from these four countries hovered around 579,000 tons worth $353 million, of which Russia accounted for 510,000 tons worth $321.47 million, Kazakhstan 51,272 tons worth $17.45 million, Turkmenistan 12,150 tons worth $9.31 million and Azerbaijan 4,728 tons worth $4.7 million,” he was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
Noting that annual imports by Caspian Sea littoral states stand above $500 billion, the official said, “Iran’s $1.31 billion worth of exports to these countries in the last fiscal year (2020-21), despite an 18% and 14% increase in exports to Azerbaijan and Russia respectively is insignificant.
Last year, Iran’s exports to Russia reached $510 million, Azerbaijan $504 million, Kazakhstan $168 million and Turkmenistan $137 million.
