Turkey, Arab states re-exporting Iranian kiwi fruits

An official with the Iranian Formation of Farmer’s House
said that the Iranian kiwi fruit brand needs the government’s support and
attention in order to be able to carve out its niche and have a larger share in
the global fruit market.

Iranian kiwi fruits are very good quality and extremely
popular in the global market, Enayatollah Biyabani said on Saturday, ILNA
reported.

He added, however, that the country’s share in exports of
kiwifruit in this market can be changed to top.

“If the government supports the
exporters, we could have a larger share in the international market, the EU in
particular, and turn into the top exporter of kiwi,” Biyabani said.

He further noted that Turkey and a number of Arab countries
are among the most important importers of Iranian kiwi fruits. 

Some parts of the exported kiwi to these countries may
finally find another destination as these countries import Iranian kiwi fruits
and re-export them to other countries, and this has made them more interested
in importing Iranian kiwi, Biyabani said.

According to FAO statistics, the Islamic Republic was ranked
sixth among the top exporters of kiwi in 2021. Iran exported more than 69,000
tons of kiwis in 2021 when New Zealand was the top exporter of the mentioned
fruit, exporting 85,000 tons.

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.