A total of 748,000 tons of tropical and sub-tropical fruits worth $528 million were exported from Iran in the last fiscal year (March 2021-22), according to director general of the Agriculture Ministry’s Tropical and Sub-Tropical Fruits Department.
“Production stood at 9 million tons. We estimate that this year [started March 21] yields will reach 9.3 million tons,” Zahra Jalili-Moqaddam was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Citrus fruits, dates, pomegranates, figs and kiwis are the main tropical and sub-tropical fruits produced in Iran and the provinces of Hormozgan, Sistan-Baluchestan and Kerman are the main producers.
The tropical fruits cultivated in these southern provinces include mangoes, bananas, guavas, papayas and sapodilla (also known as sapote or chikoo).
About $550 million are spent annually for importing four types of tropical fruits to Iran, according to an official with the Agriculture Ministry’s Horticultural Affairs Department.
“These fruits are bananas, coconuts, mangos and pineapples. Some $450 million of the figure are spent on the import of bananas alone,” Shahin Rostampour was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
The official noted that the Seventh Five-Year Development Plan (2023-28) has called on the government to provide facilities required to cultivate tropical fruits in the southern Makran Coast.
Makran is a semi-desert coastal strip stretched along southeastern Iran to Pakistan’s Balochistan and borders the coasts of Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman. The Iranian part of Makran Coast borders the two southern provinces of Hormozgan and Sistan-Baluchestan.
“The region has favorable weather and arable land, making it an ideal location for tropical fruit production. Yet, Makran Coast is facing the problem of water shortage. If water desalination systems are implemented and water demand is met, Iran can produce up to 50% of its domestic need for tropical fruits by the end of the Seventh Plan,” Rostampour said.
The development plans are laws drafted by the government and ratified by the parliament every five years, since 1991. The primary aim of the plans is to pave the way for the realization of objectives enshrined in the 20-year Vision Plan.
Rostampour noted that the Agriculture Ministry experts have studied areas fit for such horticultural activities and agreements have been reached with five investment companies to carry out infrastructure projects and purchase water desalination systems from local and foreign companies.
“We are willing to use the latest technologies available in the cultivation of fruits in the unique climate of Makran Coast. The Agriculture Ministry welcomes companies and businesses willing to invest in setting up tropical fruit orchards using energy and water-efficient methods and technologies,” he said.
According to Mohammad Mehdi Boroumandi, an official with the Agriculture Ministry, 92,947 tons of bananas were produced on 4,838 hectares in the fiscal 2019-20, which was enough to meet 20% of domestic demand for this tropical fruit.
“Domestic demand for bananas stands at 550,000 tons annually, of which 450,000 tons are supplied through imports and 100,000 tons via local production,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
“The southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan accounts for 99.8% of the country’s banana output.”
Jalili-Moqaddam told IRNA that Sistan-Baluchestan Province has the largest area under banana cultivation with 4,835 hectares.
“A total of 22.3 hectares of plantations in southern Kerman, 12 hectares in Fars, 10 hectares in Hormozgan and 2.3 hectares in Bushehr have been dedicated to cultivation of bananas,” she said.
“There are close to 5,000 hectares of banana plantations in Sistan-Baluchestan, more than 3,000 hectares of which currently bear fruit. The province is Iran’s banana production hub. Chabahar, Konarak and Sarbaz counties account for the lion’s share of the province’s banana yield.”
Mohammad Ali Tahmasebi, deputy agriculture minister for horticultural affairs, told Mehr News Agency that the government plans to expand Sistan-Baluchestan’s banana plantations by 2,000 hectares with the cooperation of the private sector.
“Modern technology will be used in the new plantations to increase yield and quality,” he said.
Sistan-Baluchestan’s tropical climate enables the province to produce, besides banana, mango, papaya, guava and coconut, in addition to watermelon, pomegranate, olive and citrus fruits. Harvest takes place twice a year for most of these fruits.
