Iran is on course to earn $2 billion this year from exports of horticulture products, including fruits and herbs, an Agriculture Ministry official says, Press TV reported.
Pistachios, dates, pomegranates, apples, kiwifruit, raisins, saffron and tea constitute the bulk of the exports, which have risen notably in the past three years, deputy head of the ministry's gardening affairs Mohammad Ali Tahmasbi said Thursday.
Last year, Iran produced more than 16 million metric tons of fruits, vegetables and herbs, asserting its first place for pomegranate harvest, the third for dates, the fourth for kiwifruit and the fifth for figs for a second year in a row, he said, citing UN figures.
Iranian fruits, vegetables and herbs, known for their organic production and superior taste, are currently a regular staple in the food basket of some 240 million people around the country.
Tahmasbi said Russia and Central Asian nations are the new customers of Iran's horticultural products, adding exports are expected to rise also due to the removal of sanctions.
Because of its unique ecology, Iran is the largest fruit producer in the Middle East and North Africa where the diversity of climatic zones makes it possible to cultivate a variety of crops.
The Iranian plateau is believed to be the homeland to a number of fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants such as Persian walnuts, pomegranates, peaches, spinach and tulips.
Gardening is done on 2.6 million hectares of land, including 800,000 hectares of orchards irrigated with pressurized systems, Tahmasbi said.
Iran has also a modest flower farming sector in which 2.55 billion stalks of cut flowers are produced a year in conservatories or open grounds.
Agriculture in Iran accounts for about one-fourth of the gross national product and employs about two-fifths of the labor force.