Tehran, Iran, October 15
By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:
The Iranian Parliament has requested 1 trillion rials ($29.23 million as 1 USD at 34,203 rials) to be given out as incentive for citrus fruits exports.
Such incentives would provide a very handy tool in encouraging the export of citrus fruits, a former MP believes.
"If the incentive comes in the form of low-interest facilities to top exporters, then it will create an effective tool in encouraging exports," Ali Iranpour, a former member of the Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, told Trend.
It is estimated that some 5 million tons of citrus fruits will be produced in Iran during the current fiscal year that started March 21 to register a 7% increase compared with last year’s production, Abolqasem Hassanpour, the director general at the Tropical and Subtropical Fruits Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, said last week.
Hassanpour added that 48% of this volume will be cultivated in the northern province of Mazandaran and the rest in the country’s southern provinces.
Iranpour, in the meantime, noted that Iran enjoys high potential in production and export of citrus fruits. "The climate is such that all around the year we have citrus crops to the north or south of the country. This is a very good opportunity because it reduces production costs by eliminating the need for storage."
"Also, because we often see a surplus product beyond the domestic need, and also there is good demand for citrus fruits both to the north of Iran in countries like Azerbaijan and to the south in the Persian Gulf states, we have the opportunity of short-distance, low-cost exports," he said.