Decline in Pomegranate Exports

More than 1,220 tons of pomegranates worth close to $1.1 million were exported from Iran to six countries during the nine months to Dec. 21, 2017, the latest figures released by the Agriculture Ministry showed. The export figures plummeted by 80.5% and close to 72% in weight and value respectively compared with last year’s corresponding period. The UAE, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and Malaysia were the main export destinations, ISNA reported. Some 3 million tons of pomegranates are cultivated across the world every year and Iran, with a production of around 1 million tons, is the world’s biggest producer of the fruit followed by India, China, Turkey and the United States. The cities of Saveh in the northwest, Shiraz in the southwest, Yazd in central Iran and Mazandaran Province in the north are the main producers of pomegranates in the country.