More than 7,000 tons of olive oil are smuggled into Iran every year, according to the National Olive Council. Domestic demand for olive oil stands at 17,000 tons per year, some 5,000 tons of which are produced inside the country. Noting that only 5,000 tons of olive oil were imported through legal channels in the last Iranian year (March 2015-16), the council called on the government to reduce the current 26% import tariff, ISNA reported. According to the International Olive Council, Iran is a major olive producer, ranking 11th out of 43 major olive producers across the world. Leading olive growing regions in Iran include Fars, Kerman, Hormozgan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Qazvin, Gilan, Golestan and Zanjan provinces.
