Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 16
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran will export $2 billion worth of fruits by the end of the current Iranian fiscal year (March 20, 2016).
Mohammad Ali Tahmasbi, Iranian deputy agriculture minister, said 50,000 tons of fruits will be exported from the country, Iran 's IRIB reported Sept. 16.
He did not refer to the volume of fruits which was exported in the past Iranian fiscal year, but said that pomegranates, pistachios, saffron, figs, raisins, and dates were the main exported items.
More than 16 million tons of fruits are harvested from 2.6 million hectares area of gardens across the country, he noted.
Iranian Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati has said that by producing over 90 million tons of agricultural products per year, Iran is among ten top countries in the world.
The official said that attracting capital needed for the development of the agriculture sector is a priority of Iran's Ministry of Agriculture, and that the government has provided all infrastructures to support foreign investment in this sector.
Iran is ranked first worldwide for producing saffron, pomegranates, and pistachios, second for producing dates and apricots, third for producing figs and cherries, and fourth for producing walnuts and apples.
Edited by CN