Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 19
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
Olive oil production in Iran rose by 30 percent during the current Iranian year (started March 21, 2018), compared to the same period last year, said Rahmatollah Parichehr, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Jihad and Executive of the Olive Project, Trend reports referring to the ministry’s website.
According to Parichehr, olive oil production reached 7,100 tons this year, with 5,300 tons produced last year.
Parichehr added that the rise in production led to imports of this product dropping by 2,000 tons.
Noting that 45 percent of the olive grown in Iran is used for olive oil production, with the rest used for canned foods, Parichehr said that farmers have become more interested in olive oil production this year.
"More than 100,000 tons of olive has been harvested this year," he said.
Parichehr said that Iran has officially become a member of the International Olive Council in 2018 and noted that training courses were organized with researchers, directors and farmers with the participation of Spanish specialists in Iran’s Qazvin Province.
Parichehr stated that the consumption of olive oil per person in Iran consists of about 180 g. However, olive oil consumption per capita in European countries stands at about 11 kg.