Black cumin seed production in Iran reached 30,000 tons in the last Iranian year (March 2021-22), because of which the import of the spice has now been banned, the manager of Agriculture Ministry’s Medicinal Plants Project said on Saturday.
“It is estimated that more than 3,000 tons of black cumin seeds are imported every year, but we succeeded in producing strong healthy seeds for cultivation, which helped increase its output. We also managed to mechanize the harvest and post-harvest processes,” Hossein Zeynali was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
According to the official, domestic production sufficiently meets demand, so there is no need for imports.
Zeynali noted that the import of black cumin seeds has been banned as of June 22, stressing that the ban will persist until further notice.
“At present, black cumin is cultivated on around 2,406 hectares across the country. Golestan Province in the north of the country and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province in the southwest are the main producers of the seed in Iran,” he added.
According to the official, global demand for black cumin seeds increases by 10-15% every year.
“India, Syria and Egypt are the world’s biggest producers of the crop,” he added.
Black cumin [also known as black caraway] is an annual flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to eastern Europe (Bulgaria and Romania) and West Asia (Cyprus, Turkey, Iran and Iraq), but naturalized over a much wider area, including parts of Europe, northern Africa and Myanmar.
The dry-roasted seeds flavor curries, vegetables and pulses. They can be used as a seasoning in recipes with pod fruit, vegetables, salads and poultry. In some cultures, including Iran’s, the black seeds are used to flavor bread products.
