With a production volume of 150,000 tons, Iran is the world's sixth biggest edible mushroom cultivator, the chairman of Mushroom Growers Union said.
Mohammad Hassan Afshar added that Iran currently exports a monthly average of 170 tons of edible mushrooms.
“Seven percent of the total exports go to Iraq and the rest to the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan at a price of about $1.8 per kilogram," he was quoted as saying by IRNA, adding that global prices stand at $2.5 per kilogram.
Currently, there are 900 edible mushroom producers in Iran, providing jobs for more than 10,000 people.
Iran exported over 3,600 tons of edible mushrooms last year (March 2017-18).
Per capita mushroom consumption in Iran stands at 1-1.2 kilograms—lower than the global average of 2 kilograms and Europe’s average of 4 kilograms.
Currently, more than 20 types of mushrooms are commercially cultivated worldwide, with China, the US, the Netherlands, France and Poland being the biggest producers.
