Out of one million tons of date produced annually in Iran, half a million ton is consumed domestically, as only 80,000-100,000 tons are exported, Fars News Agency quoted secretary of the National Date Association, Ali-Asghar Mousavi, as saying on Friday. The official referred to lack of global marketing as the underlying cause of low date exports, lamenting that part of the surplus is used as livestock feed and the rest “goes to waste.” Most date exports are destined for Malaysia and the rest is exported to North America and Europe. Head of Kerman’s Date Association, Mohsen Rashidfarrokhi, earlier referred to India and China as potential markets for the Iranian dates, saying negotiations are underway to also tap into those markets.
