Poor packaging and transportation infrastructure has caused problems for Iran’s fruit and vegetable exports to Russia, according to Alireza Pourbasir, an official with the Agricultural Jihad Ministry.
Speaking at a conference held on the sidelines of Agrofood 2016 in Tehran on Tuesday, Pourbasir said great export opportunities to Russia have recently opened up.
“Unfortunately, Iranian merchants have not been successful in using the opportunity to their benefit,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
According to Mohammad Reza Sepehri, the head of the Institute of Labor and Social Security, nearly half of all the fruit produced in the country goes to waste due to improper packaging.
Speaking at the same conference, Mohammad Reza Modoudi, deputy head of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, said Iran’s exports are hit by weak marketing.
“We have not yet managed to study international markets as we ought to. The private sector needs to play a more active role in this regard and keep a constant track of customer tastes, update their packaging technology and keep pace with their rivals,” he added.
This year’s edition of Agrofood–Iran’s largest event on agriculture, food trade and technology–opened on May 30 in Tehran’s International Fairground and will run through June 2.
