Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec.1/ Trend F.Milad/
Iran's garden products output is expected to rise by 10-35 percent in the current Iranian calendar year (to end March 19, 2013), head of Iran's Garden Owners Union Mojtaba Shadlou sain on Saturday.
Iran produced 7.5 million tons of fruits and other garden products in the previous calendar year, Shadlou said, the Mehr news Agency reported.
"At least 3 million tons would be added to Iran's total fruit and garden products output in the current year," he added.
Iran's fruit exports value is expected to reach $2 billion in the current calendar year.
Iran exported over $1.131 million worth agricultural products in the previous calendar year, which ended March 19.
Iran inaugurated 4,724 agricultural projects during the first six months of the current IraniUnion an calendar year, which began March 20, creating more than 13,656 direct and indirect jobs, Managing Director of the Iranian Agricultural Bank Mohammad Talebi said on October 28.
The projects are in the fields of water and soil management, animal husbandry, natural resources, agricultural industries, research and development, the Fars News Agency quoted Mohammad Talebi as saying.
The value of exports of agricultural products was $64.1 billion more than imports in the past calendar year, which ended on March 19.
Iran is the Middle East and North Africa's greatest producer of garden products, and ranks eighth or ninth in the world.
Iran has been ranked between eighth and tenth in global fruit production in different years. In the productions of pomegranates and pistachios Iran ranks first, in dates and cherries, third, fourth in the production of apples and walnuts, and, seventh in producing citrus fruits.
Fifty kinds of fruits are grown in Iran. The record for pomegranate production is 100 tons in a hectare of land, 146 ton for apples and 70 tons for oranges.