30 August 2012
Due to its diverse climate and fertile soil, Iran's agriculture products are rated among the best in the world.
With 123,580 square kilometers of arable land, the agricultural sector is one of the major contributors to Iran's economy. It accounts for almost 13 percent of Iran's GDP, 20 percent of the employed population, 23 percent of non-oil exports, 82 percent of domestically consumed foodstuff and 90 percent of raw materials used in the food processing industry.
77m Tons of Crops Last Year
Close to 77 million tons of crops were produced in the last Iranian year (ended March 19), announced Agricultural Jihad Minister Sadeq Khalilian, Mehr News Agency wrote.
He said expansion of pressurized irrigation network and correction of irrigation methods are infrastructural measures conducted in the water and soil sectors.
The minister also announced that 1.2 million hectares of farming lands have been covered by the pressurized irrigation system.
Khalilian put the entire extent of infrastructural projects in water and soil sectors at 192,000 hectares during the previous (since 20005) and current governments.
Pointing to the inauguration of 3,619 processing units with a production capacity of 22.4 million tons, he said government overhauled the poultry and livestock units and implemented plans for improving food health.
Commenting on production of farming and orchard crops, he said 77 million tons of crops, 18.3 million tons of orchard crops, 720,000 tons of fishery products and 14.3 million tons of livestock and poultry products were produced last year.
48 Funds Active
Some 48 agriculture development funds are operating nationwide, said a member of the Board of Directors of the Agriculture Development Support Fund.
Speaking in the inaugural ceremony of the fund in Garmsar, Semnan province, Alireza Ashrafi added that provincial funds have been established to support farmers and develop the agricultural sector in all parts of the countries, IRNA reported.
"The total value of the agriculture development funds stands at over 3 trillion rials ($300 million)," he said.
Ashrafi further said that providing insurance coverage for farmers, extending loan facilities and making investments in the sector are the most important responsibilities of the fund.
The Agriculture Development Fund of Garmsar is the second such fund established in Semnan province after Damghan.
Saffron Output
Iran is the world's top producer of saffron. It supplies more than 80 percent of the world's demand with a plantation area of about 36,724 to 41,325 hectares and an annual production of 150 to 170 tons.
While saffron is planted in many regions of the country, including the southeast, South Khorasan province has the highest production share.
Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. Derived from the dried reddish-purple stigmas of the saffron crocus, it takes anything from 70,000 to 250,000 flowers to make one pound of saffron.
The flowers begin to grow after the first rains and the blooming period is usually mid-October when the temperature is just right. The flowers have to be individually handpicked in autumn when they are in full bloom.
Saffron is mainly cultivated in Iran Kashmir and southern Europe, particularly Spain.
Iran's saffron is exported mostly to UAE, Spain, Japan, Turkmenistan, France, Italy and even the US. The number of countries importing Iranian saffron is increasing.
Saffron output is expected to reach 250 tons in the current Iranian year (to end March 2013), said the head of the Association of Saffron Farmers in the northeastern province of South Khorasan.
Ali Husseini said although new saffron farms have been fertilized and secure from drought, the output is not satisfactory.
The official explained that over 70,000 hectares of lands are under saffron cultivation in the two provinces of Khorasan Razavi and South Khorasan.
He put saffron output from every hectare at 3.5 kg.
"This is while close to 10 kg of saffron should be harvested from every hectare," he said.
Husseini attributed the low output to various types of saffron bulbs, adding that bulbs weighting below 8 grams have low fertility rate while bulbs between 8-10 grams have high fertility rate.
"If saffron farms are fed with animal fertilizer, their output will double," he said.
He called for holding training courses for saffron growers and those involved in the saffron industry.
Once farming organizations, farmers and Agricultural Jihad Ministry cooperate with each other in raising awareness about saffron production, output will increase.
Rice Production
Iran's rice production will reach 2.5 million tons in the current year (to end March 2013), said the head of Rice Research Institute.
Gholamreza Khankeshipour also predicted that rice production will grow compared to last year with the introduction of high-yield rice variety 'Gohar' and favorable climatic conditions, ISNA reported.
He put the area under rice cultivation at 600,000 hectares, which depends on water resources.
Stating that rice is cultivated across 21 provinces, the official said the provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran produce over 60 percent of the total rice crop.
"Golestan province accounts for 10 percent of domestic production, followed by provinces of Khuzestan, Fars, Isfahan and Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad," he said.
Khankeshipour noted that over 40 high-yield rice varieties have been introduced in the past 30 years and 10 high-yield rice varieties such as Khazar, Sefidroud, Shiroudi, Gohar, Sahel, Fajr and Neda are popular.
Iran's total rice production stands at 2.2 million tons per annum whereas the country's annual rice consumption is almost 3 million tons.
Grown in 113 countries and the staple food for over half the world's population, rice is the most popular global food that shapes religious festivals, customs, cuisines and celebrations.
Date Export
Production and export of Iranian date have increased in the current Iranian year compared to last year.
Announcing the above, the head of Khuzestan Agricultural Jihad Department for Gardening Affairs, Halim Kooti, told Iran Daily's Sadeq Dehqan that Iran has targeted markets of Central Asian nations and newly-independent states of Eurasia instead of Western and European destinations.
Kooti said Iran holds 10 percent of the 1.2 million tons of global date trade.
"Khuzestan province ranks first in terms of production and exports of date crop across the country," he said.
"The entire volume of Iran's date exports stands at 125,000 tons, of which 50,000 tons pertains to Khuzestan province."
He put the country's total date output at one million tons, of which 175,000 tons are produced in Khuzestan and the rest in other parts of Iran.
"After Khuzestan province, Kerman boasts the highest rate of date output," he said.
He attributed the recent rise in date production to expansion of areas under date cultivation, enhancement of palm groves, and pruning the palms.
Kooti put Khuzestan province's areas under date cultivation at 42,000 hectares, of which 11,000 hectares pertain to seedlings and 31,000 to high-yield trees.
It takes five years for a seedling to come to fruition.
He put Khuzestan province's date harvest at 5.8 tons per hectare, adding that the average harvest rate stands at 5.4 tons across the country.
"This is while the average harvest rate stands at six tons in rival nations such as Iraq and Saudi Arabia," he said.
Date has many customers worldwide and Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Tunisia and Afghanistan are top rivals of Iran.
Iranian date used to be exported to Europe, particularly the UK, but due to Western sanctions, it is currently exported to Central Asia and newly-independent states of Eurasia.
The official explained that over 80 types of dates are produced across the country. At present, date palm varieties Estamaran, Barhi, Kabkab, Zahedi and Gantar are produced in Khuzestan province.
Estamaran variety, which accounts for 110,000 tons of Khuzestan's date output, boasts ogf high quality and long-shelf life. It has a good taste and color, with a shelf life of one year.
"This is while Mazafati date spoils after one week," he added.
He elaborated that fruits of palm groves could be harvested in three phases, including Kharak (crunchy), Rotab (ripe) and date (with excess syrup removed).
"The harvest season of Kharak and Rotab has started since June 21," he said, adding that date would be harvested in early September.
Currently, the Iranian date is sold at $1,300 per ton in global markets. If it is processed into other products such as date syrup and date sugar, it can create value-added worth $2,000.
Sayer date is a major export item of Iran.
Mazafati date, which is mainly consumed across Iran, is exported in small quantity because refrigerated containers are needed for transferring it, as it spoils soon.
Based on Iran's Customs Administration (ICA) figures, the highest export rate of Iranian date pertained to Mazafati date worth $15.4 million during March 20-June 20.
According to the head of Union of Dried Fruit Exporters, Mohammad Hussein Shamsfard, Sayer date is mostly cultivated in warm regions, particularly the provinces of Khuzestan and Fars as well as Bandar Abbas city, ISNA wrote.
Although Iran is the second date producer worldwide, it ranks seventh in terms of exports due to lack of new markets and poor packing.
Annually over seven million tons of dates are produced across the world. Iran ranks second worldwide with one million tons of production.
India, Azerbaijan, UAE, Turkey, Iraq, Russia, Malaysia, Germany, Britain, Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and Canada were top export destinations for Iranian date last year (ended March 19, 2012).
According to statistics released by ICA in May, date exports fetched $174 million in the last Iranian year (ended March 19).
This indicated a growth of 17.7 percent compared with the figure for last year. Date exports rose to 122,000 tons during the period, showing a 2.5-percent growth.
Exports included various types of date, including fresh or dried forms Mazafati, Shahani, Kabkab, Zahedi, Sayer and Piarom.
Iran's palm groves extend over 224,000 hectares in the provinces of Kerman, Bushehr, Hormuzgan, Khuzestan, Fars and Sistan-Baluchestan.
Establishment of date processing industries, improvement of packing and marketing can increase employment and revenues. Investment in this sector is highly recommended by experts.
Due to its diverse climate and fertile soil, Iran's agriculture products are rated among the best in the world.
With 123,580 square kilometers of arable land, the agricultural sector is one of the major contributors to Iran's economy. It accounts for almost 13 percent of Iran's GDP, 20 percent of the employed population, 23 percent of non-oil exports, 82 percent of domestically consumed foodstuff and 90 percent of raw materials used in the food processing industry.
77m Tons of Crops Last Year
Close to 77 million tons of crops were produced in the last Iranian year (ended March 19), announced Agricultural Jihad Minister Sadeq Khalilian, Mehr News Agency wrote.
He said expansion of pressurized irrigation network and correction of irrigation methods are infrastructural measures conducted in the water and soil sectors.
The minister also announced that 1.2 million hectares of farming lands have been covered by the pressurized irrigation system.
Khalilian put the entire extent of infrastructural projects in water and soil sectors at 192,000 hectares during the previous (since 20005) and current governments.
Pointing to the inauguration of 3,619 processing units with a production capacity of 22.4 million tons, he said government overhauled the poultry and livestock units and implemented plans for improving food health.
Commenting on production of farming and orchard crops, he said 77 million tons of crops, 18.3 million tons of orchard crops, 720,000 tons of fishery products and 14.3 million tons of livestock and poultry products were produced last year.
48 Funds Active
Some 48 agriculture development funds are operating nationwide, said a member of the Board of Directors of the Agriculture Development Support Fund.
Speaking in the inaugural ceremony of the fund in Garmsar, Semnan province, Alireza Ashrafi added that provincial funds have been established to support farmers and develop the agricultural sector in all parts of the countries, IRNA reported.
"The total value of the agriculture development funds stands at over 3 trillion rials ($300 million)," he said.
Ashrafi further said that providing insurance coverage for farmers, extending loan facilities and making investments in the sector are the most important responsibilities of the fund.
The Agriculture Development Fund of Garmsar is the second such fund established in Semnan province after Damghan.
Saffron Output
Iran is the world's top producer of saffron. It supplies more than 80 percent of the world's demand with a plantation area of about 36,724 to 41,325 hectares and an annual production of 150 to 170 tons.
While saffron is planted in many regions of the country, including the southeast, South Khorasan province has the highest production share.
Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. Derived from the dried reddish-purple stigmas of the saffron crocus, it takes anything from 70,000 to 250,000 flowers to make one pound of saffron.
The flowers begin to grow after the first rains and the blooming period is usually mid-October when the temperature is just right. The flowers have to be individually handpicked in autumn when they are in full bloom.
Saffron is mainly cultivated in Iran Kashmir and southern Europe, particularly Spain.
Iran's saffron is exported mostly to UAE, Spain, Japan, Turkmenistan, France, Italy and even the US. The number of countries importing Iranian saffron is increasing.
Saffron output is expected to reach 250 tons in the current Iranian year (to end March 2013), said the head of the Association of Saffron Farmers in the northeastern province of South Khorasan.
Ali Husseini said although new saffron farms have been fertilized and secure from drought, the output is not satisfactory.
The official explained that over 70,000 hectares of lands are under saffron cultivation in the two provinces of Khorasan Razavi and South Khorasan.
He put saffron output from every hectare at 3.5 kg.
"This is while close to 10 kg of saffron should be harvested from every hectare," he said.
Husseini attributed the low output to various types of saffron bulbs, adding that bulbs weighting below 8 grams have low fertility rate while bulbs between 8-10 grams have high fertility rate.
"If saffron farms are fed with animal fertilizer, their output will double," he said.
He called for holding training courses for saffron growers and those involved in the saffron industry.
Once farming organizations, farmers and Agricultural Jihad Ministry cooperate with each other in raising awareness about saffron production, output will increase.
Rice Production
Iran's rice production will reach 2.5 million tons in the current year (to end March 2013), said the head of Rice Research Institute.
Gholamreza Khankeshipour also predicted that rice production will grow compared to last year with the introduction of high-yield rice variety 'Gohar' and favorable climatic conditions, ISNA reported.
He put the area under rice cultivation at 600,000 hectares, which depends on water resources.
Stating that rice is cultivated across 21 provinces, the official said the provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran produce over 60 percent of the total rice crop.
"Golestan province accounts for 10 percent of domestic production, followed by provinces of Khuzestan, Fars, Isfahan and Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad," he said.
Khankeshipour noted that over 40 high-yield rice varieties have been introduced in the past 30 years and 10 high-yield rice varieties such as Khazar, Sefidroud, Shiroudi, Gohar, Sahel, Fajr and Neda are popular.
Iran's total rice production stands at 2.2 million tons per annum whereas the country's annual rice consumption is almost 3 million tons.
Grown in 113 countries and the staple food for over half the world's population, rice is the most popular global food that shapes religious festivals, customs, cuisines and celebrations.
Date Export
Production and export of Iranian date have increased in the current Iranian year compared to last year.
Announcing the above, the head of Khuzestan Agricultural Jihad Department for Gardening Affairs, Halim Kooti, told Iran Daily's Sadeq Dehqan that Iran has targeted markets of Central Asian nations and newly-independent states of Eurasia instead of Western and European destinations.
Kooti said Iran holds 10 percent of the 1.2 million tons of global date trade.
"Khuzestan province ranks first in terms of production and exports of date crop across the country," he said.
"The entire volume of Iran's date exports stands at 125,000 tons, of which 50,000 tons pertains to Khuzestan province."
He put the country's total date output at one million tons, of which 175,000 tons are produced in Khuzestan and the rest in other parts of Iran.
"After Khuzestan province, Kerman boasts the highest rate of date output," he said.
He attributed the recent rise in date production to expansion of areas under date cultivation, enhancement of palm groves, and pruning the palms.
Kooti put Khuzestan province's areas under date cultivation at 42,000 hectares, of which 11,000 hectares pertain to seedlings and 31,000 to high-yield trees.
It takes five years for a seedling to come to fruition.
He put Khuzestan province's date harvest at 5.8 tons per hectare, adding that the average harvest rate stands at 5.4 tons across the country.
"This is while the average harvest rate stands at six tons in rival nations such as Iraq and Saudi Arabia," he said.
Date has many customers worldwide and Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Tunisia and Afghanistan are top rivals of Iran.
Iranian date used to be exported to Europe, particularly the UK, but due to Western sanctions, it is currently exported to Central Asia and newly-independent states of Eurasia.
The official explained that over 80 types of dates are produced across the country. At present, date palm varieties Estamaran, Barhi, Kabkab, Zahedi and Gantar are produced in Khuzestan province.
Estamaran variety, which accounts for 110,000 tons of Khuzestan's date output, boasts ogf high quality and long-shelf life. It has a good taste and color, with a shelf life of one year.
"This is while Mazafati date spoils after one week," he added.
He elaborated that fruits of palm groves could be harvested in three phases, including Kharak (crunchy), Rotab (ripe) and date (with excess syrup removed).
"The harvest season of Kharak and Rotab has started since June 21," he said, adding that date would be harvested in early September.
Currently, the Iranian date is sold at $1,300 per ton in global markets. If it is processed into other products such as date syrup and date sugar, it can create value-added worth $2,000.
Sayer date is a major export item of Iran.
Mazafati date, which is mainly consumed across Iran, is exported in small quantity because refrigerated containers are needed for transferring it, as it spoils soon.
Based on Iran's Customs Administration (ICA) figures, the highest export rate of Iranian date pertained to Mazafati date worth $15.4 million during March 20-June 20.
According to the head of Union of Dried Fruit Exporters, Mohammad Hussein Shamsfard, Sayer date is mostly cultivated in warm regions, particularly the provinces of Khuzestan and Fars as well as Bandar Abbas city, ISNA wrote.
Although Iran is the second date producer worldwide, it ranks seventh in terms of exports due to lack of new markets and poor packing.
Annually over seven million tons of dates are produced across the world. Iran ranks second worldwide with one million tons of production.
India, Azerbaijan, UAE, Turkey, Iraq, Russia, Malaysia, Germany, Britain, Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and Canada were top export destinations for Iranian date last year (ended March 19, 2012).
According to statistics released by ICA in May, date exports fetched $174 million in the last Iranian year (ended March 19).
This indicated a growth of 17.7 percent compared with the figure for last year. Date exports rose to 122,000 tons during the period, showing a 2.5-percent growth.
Exports included various types of date, including fresh or dried forms Mazafati, Shahani, Kabkab, Zahedi, Sayer and Piarom.
Iran's palm groves extend over 224,000 hectares in the provinces of Kerman, Bushehr, Hormuzgan, Khuzestan, Fars and Sistan-Baluchestan.
Establishment of date processing industries, improvement of packing and marketing can increase employment and revenues. Investment in this sector is highly recommended by experts.
© Iran Daily 2012
