Dried fruit of grapes, which are dried out either by the sun or using industrial dryers, are called raisins. The date of production of sun-dried raisins goes back more than 3,000 years. The discovery of raisins is thought to have occurred accidentally by the drying of grapes on the branch.

Important areas of raisin production in Iran:

Qazvin, East Azarbaijan, Khorasan Razavi, Hamedan, West Azarbaijan, Zanjan, North Khorasan, and Markazi Province are the major producers of raisins in Iran. Most of Iran's grapes are processed and exported as raisins.

Raisin production rate:

Raisin production in 2018 was 200,000 tons (about 20% of global share).

Raisin export rate:

According to Iranian customs statistics in 2018, raisin exports amounted to 113,000 tons and worth $ 153,000 (1.4 dollars per kg). Iran ranks third in the world in terms of exports of raisins.

Export market, and targeted countries:

Iranian raisins from years ago besides neighboring countries such as UAE, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have been exported to European countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, England, Romania, the Netherlands, Hungary and Spain and North African countries such as Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco and other countries like Canada are exported. Interesting to note that Turkey, i.e. the largest exporter of raisins in the world, also imports raisins from Iran, albeit in bulk, which is re-exported to Europe with Turkish brands after packaging with their country’s name. In the last year, the main structure of the world raisin market has changed, and the most important importers of Iranian raisin are Eastern Europe and some neighboring countries. These countries are the customers who import the cheapest raisins.