Iran exports over 3m tons of agricultural products in 5
months 

Iran exported 3.053 million tons of agricultural products in
the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-August
22), an official with the Central Organization for Rural Cooperatives of Iran
said. 

The value of Iran’s exports of agricultural and foodstuff
products increased by 19 percent in the mentioned period, also registering a
three percent rise in terms of weight, according to Ruhollah Latifi. 

As reported, of the total exports, 2.86 million tons with a
value of $1.68 billion went to 15 neighboring countries, which accounted for 84
percent of the total value and 94 percent of the total weight of the exports in
the mentioned period, Tehran Times reported. 

Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Russia, Pakistan,
Afghanistan, and Turkey were the top importers of Iranian ago-food products in
the said five months, Latifi said.

FAO statistics show that Iran also stands among the world’s
top producers of many agricultural products.

Based on the FAO data, the Islamic Republic is the
third-largest producer of dates, honey, pistachios, and walnuts in the world.

Iranian farmers produce 1.28 million tons of dates annually,
making the country the third-largest producer of this product in the world
after Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Honey production in Iran is 80,000 tons per year, which is
the highest honey production in a country after China and Turkey. China's honey
production is estimated at 458,000 tons per year.

The FAO has put Iran's pistachio production at 190,000 tons
in 2020, placing the country in third place among the world’s top producers of
the mentioned products after the United States and Turkey.

Iran has been usually ranked first or second in the world in
terms of pistachio production, but due to the drought in 2020, production fell
sharply. The U.S. pistachio production this year was 474,000 tons.

The Islamic Republic is also ranked third in the world in
the production of walnuts with 356,000 tons of annual output. China stands in
first place with 1.1 million tons of production and the United States is in
second place.

Iran is also ranked fourth in terms of almond and watermelon
production. The country’s almond production is reported to be 164,000 tons per
year. The United States is in first place with 2.37 million tons of almonds,
followed by Spain and Australia in second and third places.

In terms of kiwi output, the country is the world’s fifth
major producer of the product with 289,000 tons per year. China, New Zealand,
and Italy are the first to third-largest producers of kiwifruit in the world.
China’s kiwi production is 2.23 million tons per year.

Iran also ranks sixth in eggplant production, seventh in
onion and tomato production, eighth in spinach output, ninth in terms of orange
production, and 11th in grapes and sugar.

According to the FAO, Iran is the 12th largest producer of
wheat in the world. The country’s wheat production in 2020 amounted to 15
million tons. China is the world's largest producer of strategic grain with 134
million tons, followed by India and Russia.

In the production of tea, Iran is ranked 12th as well with a
production of more than 84,000 tons. China topped the list with 2.97 million
tons of tea output, followed by India and Kenya.

The Islamic republic is also ranked 13th in barley
production, 18th in terms of olive production, and finally 19th in the
production of pears and tomatoes.