BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 8. Iran's agricultural and food product exports rose by 22 percent in value and 7.2 percent in volume in the first nine months of the current Iranian year (March 21 through December 21, 2023), compared to the same period last year, said Rouhollah Latifi, an official of the Central Union of Rural and Agricultural Cooperatives of Iran, Trend reports.
Latifi noted that Iran exported more than 6 million tons of agricultural and food products worth about $4.31 billion in nine months.
The official also stated that 4.36 million tons of crops (including greens, fruits, vegetables, etc.) worth $2.56 billion were exported in the specified period, showing an increase of 25.4 percent in value and a decrease of 1.6 percent in volume compared to the same period last year.
“In addition, 627,000 tons of livestock, dairy products, and fishery products worth $914 million were exported from the country for nine months, representing a 13.3 percent increase in value and 27 percent in volume compared to the same period last year,” he added.
According to Latifi, Iran also exported nearly 1.02 million tons of foodstuffs (including pasta, sweets, chocolate, biscuits, etc.), worth $836 million. This is an increase of 21 percent in value and 26 percent in volume compared to the same period last year.
He said that Iran’s agricultural and food products reached 130 global markets. Iraq was the top importer of these products, buying $1.4 billion worth of them. The UAE, Russia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan followed, with imports of $531 million, $376 million, $330 million, and $280 million, respectively.
Iran’s efforts to boost its non-oil exports amid the US sanctions that limit its oil sales. Iran’s non-oil exports include all products except crude oil, mazut, and white oil.
The latest data from IRICA shows that Iran exported about 102 million tons of non-oil products worth $36.4 billion in the first nine months of the current Iranian year (March 21 through December 21, 2023). This represents a 0.68 percent drop in value but a 26.5 percent rise in volume compared to the same period last year.
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