BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 10
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
Fruit and vegetable exports from Iran increased by 12 percent in terms of value and by 11.5 percent in terms of weight in the last Iranian year (from March 21, 2019 through March 20, 2020) compared to the preceding Iranian year (from March 21, 2018 through March 21, 2019), Director General of the Coordination Department for the Development of Agricultural Products of the Iran Trade Promotion Organization Mahmoud Bazari said, Trend reports referring to the organization’s website.
Despite the US sanctions against Iran, export of agricultural products from the country is increasing alongside export of other non-oil products, Bazari said.
The director general noted that 4.5 million tons of fruits and vegetables were exported from Iran in the last Iranian year adding that the total value of Iran's agricultural products' export reached $5.7 billion, and about 22 percent of the sum accounted for fruits and vegetables.
"Last year, with the implementation of the interim trade memorandum between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Iran's exports of fruits and vegetables to the EAEU member countries increased. Thus, exports of fruits and vegetables to Russia increased by 89 percent, and to Kazakhstan by 6 percent compared to the preceding Iranian year," he said.
A temporary trade memorandum was signed between Iran and the EAEU on October 27, 2019. In accordance with the memorandum, 862 kinds of products will be traded upon preferential tariffs between the two sides.
Iran will export 502 kinds of products, mainly pistachios, kiwi, oil products, raisins, cucumbers, cabbages, dates, medicines, cement, copper, and methanol, and import 360 kinds of products including barley, animal feed, vegetable oil, cathode, etc.
The value of trade turnover between Iran and EAEU reached $1.78 billion from October 27, 2019, to April 25, 2020. During this period, 1.34 million tons of products worth $539 million were exported to the union, and the largest share (53 percent) was exported to Russia.
The US imposed new sanctions on Iran in November 2018. Over the past period, the sanctions affected Iranian oil exports, more than 700 banks, companies and individuals.