Up to 30% of agricultural products go to waste in Iran, mostly during the harvest and post-harvest stages, says an official with the Plant Protection Organization of Iran.
“Waste produced along the agriculture production chain in Iran accounts for 3% of total agricultural and food waste globally,” Masoud Latifian was also quoted as saying by ILNA.
“Iran produces 100 million tons of agricultural products annually, of which 16.5 million tons go to waste, which is equal to the output of one million hectares of land, or 12% of the total land using irrigated cultivation systems.”
The official noted that 90% of Iran’s agricultural waste pertain to 60 horticultural and agronomic crops, and 10% to 40 other products.
“Waste from grapes accounts for the lion’s share of agricultural waste in Iran with 34%, followed by 31% of tangerines, 30% of oranges, peaches and cherries, 28% of apples, 26% of limes and lemons, 25% of pomegranates and 20% of dates,” he said.
It is said that the volume of agricultural waste in Iran is twice more than the global average.
Old machinery used in this sector is the main culprit behind the wastage.
Agriculture waste is said to cost Iran's economy over $5 billion per annum.
The government of former president, Hassan Rouhani, invested in renewing and repairing agricultural machinery.
“Thanks to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, renowned brands of rice planting machinery, heavy tractors, combines and orchard tractors have been imported,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA, referring to Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2015.
JCPOA was implemented in 2016 to see years of international sanctions against Iran lifted. However, under the administration of former US president, Donald Trump, the country unilaterally walked out of the deal and the fate of it remains uncertain.
Most of the imports came from Germany, Italy, France, South Korea and Japan.
“The excessive use of seeds during the pre-harvest stage, the use of old technology to fight pests and diseases during the harvest stage and the inappropriate transport of agricultural goods in the chain of distribution, market and consumption are among other reasons,” says vice chairman of Iran's Agriculture Guild, Behrouz Bazli.
Changing Food Landscape
According to Food and Agricultural Organization, 1.3 billion tons of food, mainly fruit, vegetables, fish and grains, are wasted globally every year.
There are two patterns of food waste throughout the world. In developing countries, food waste happens mostly between the harvest and processing stages while in developed countries, the retailing system and customers are the main culprits.
About 95% of Iran's agricultural machinery need are met by domestic producers and the remaining 5% pertains to modern machinery used in rice paddy fields.
Experts say the canning industry is among the most important processing industries that can help minimize agricultural waste.
The canning industry is a strategic sector, originally set up to prevent food wastage and feed people in times of crisis such as war or earthquakes. However, using canned food nowadays is not limited to the time of crisis.
Currently, with the development of modern society and population growth, more and more people are using canned food and demand is growing.
Mohammad Javad Soroush, director of the Water and Soil Office at the Department of Environment, says poor management of agricultural waste is depriving Iran of the means for improving soil fertility.
He describes agricultural waste as an "important resource" whose value must be acknowledged by the Agriculture Ministry`.
This type of waste is often converted into organic fertilizer and energy in countries with advanced farming techniques, but this is not common practice in Iran where even irrigation systems are largely outdated and wasteful.
"The vast extent of our soil lacks sufficient organic material, which can be redressed by using compost derived from agricultural waste," he has been quoted as saying by ISNA.
Agricultural waste management is based on the principles of four Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle and recover.
Waste disposal is only a last resort option in the developed world.
Agrifood Export Profile
Agrifood exports stood at 2.4 million tons worth $1.22 billion in the first three month of the current fiscal year 2021-22 (March 21-June 21), registering a 17.3% growth in terms of weight and a 1.1% decline in terms of value year-on-year, according to the deputy head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration for technical affairs.
Iraq with $226.8 million, the UAE with $42.5 million, Afghanistan with $29 million, India with $34 million, China with $27.4 million, Russia with $28 million, Pakistan with $15.9 million and Germany with $13.5 million were the main export destinations.
The main exports were watermelon, pistachio, tomato, apple, orange, milk powder, melon and cocoa-free sweets.
“Watermelon topped the list [of exported goods] with $111.9 million, including $67.8 million to Iraq, $30 million to the UAE and $14.1 million to Russia,” Mehrdad Jamal Orounaqi was also quoted as saying by ISNA.
Iran's second largest agrifood export was fresh and dried pistachios worth about $103 million.
India with $34 million was the main export destination of pistachio. China with $27.4 million, Iraq with $14.2, Russia with $13.9 and Germany with $13.5 million followed.
Food and agricultural products accounted for 7.7% of the volume of Iran’s total exports and 17.6% of the value of exports in the fiscal 2020-221, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration’s spokesperson, Rouhollah Latifi.
Iran exported 346 types of agrifood products during the period under review, of which 225 types were worth over $2,000 per ton.
This is while about 70% of exported non-oil goods, excluding agrifood products, were worth under $1,000 per ton, IRNA reported.
