BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 18
By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:
This Iranian year (began March 21, 2019), 7.5 million tons of apples and citrus fruits will be harvested, Managing Director of Iran’s Central Union of Rural and Agricultural Cooperatives Sadra Aliakbarkhani said, Trend reports referring to Mehr news agency.
Aliakbarkhani noted that about 4 million tons of apples and 3.5 million tons of citrus fruits will be harvested this year.
The managing director added that there is an excess of about 1 million tons of apples and 1 million tons of citrus fruits in Iran.
Aliakbarkhani said that a total of 19 million tons of fruit will be harvested in Iran this year.
“Consumption of these products in the local markets should be increased; otherwise, they should be exported,” the director added.
Aliakbarkhani said that various opportunities for export growth, including economic consultations, as well as for transportation, should be created.
“About 95 percent of the total volume of apples have been harvested and stored in refrigerators,” the director noted.
Aliakbarkhani added that the gardeners didn’t sell apples because they didn’t find a suitable customer.
Noting the high costs of transportation, packaging and storage in refrigerators, the managing director said that problems will only increase if gardeners fail to sell their products in the coming months.