More than 21,000 tons of mineral water worth $25 million were exported from Iran in the last fiscal year (March 2016-17).
The main export destinations were Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia and Pakistan, ISNA reported.
During the same period, about 9,000 tons of mineral water worth $7 million were imported, mainly from Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, South Korea and Austria, registering a 337.5% hike in value year-on-year.
Smuggling is reportedly rife in mineral water imports.
However, only fewer than 3% of Iranians are consumers of bottled water and that’s because 95% of the population have access to clean and safe tap water.
Secretary of Iran’s Mineral and Bottled Water Association Peyman Forouhar said last year, Iranians drank close to 15 liters of bottled water annually whereas per capita consumption of all Persian Gulf neighboring countries exceeds 100 liters.
“Turkish people drink about 140 liters of bottled water a year,” he said.
Some 95% of the domestic bottled water industry are owned by private-run companies that were mostly set up in the 2000s.
