West Azarbaijan - Harvesting of oleaster has begun in Iran’s northwestern West Azarbaijan province, where officials are promoting the drought- and salt-tolerant fruit tree as a promising crop for water-efficient farming and more resilient agricultural production.

 

Shabnam Jalilzadeh, director of horticulture at the West Azarbaijan Agricultural Organization, said harvesting was underway across 19 hectares of productive oleaster orchards in the province.

 

The harvest began in mid-September and will continue through the end of October, she said.

 

During a visit to orchards in Urmia, Jalilzadeh said expanding the cultivation of crops with low water requirements was a priority for the provincial agricultural authority.

 

Oleaster trees are particularly well suited to the region’s climatic conditions because of their resilience to water scarcity and soil salinity, she added.

 

Oleaster orchards typically yield between one and 2.5 tons per hectare under normal conditions. With improved orchard management and modern horticultural techniques, production can rise to as much as three tons per hectare, Jalilzadeh said.

 

Four varieties of oleaster, red, autumn, white and black, are cultivated in the province, she said.

 

The fruit is also widely valued in traditional medicine. Its flour, made from the whole fruit, including the skin and seed, is traditionally used to address a range of ailments, including joint pain, rheumatic conditions, osteoporosis, gum and dental problems, and childhood diarrhea. However, such medicinal uses should not be taken as established clinical treatments without supporting scientific evidence.

 

Oleaster also holds a place in Iranian cultural traditions. It is one of the items displayed on the Haft-Seen table during Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and has long been a popular winter snack in West Azerbaijan, commonly eaten alongside raisins, walnuts and sunflower seeds.

 

Jalilzadeh said West Azarbaijan’s diverse climatic conditions provide favorable opportunities for cultivating horticultural crops with relatively low water requirements.

 

Native to western and central Asia, oleaster is found across a wide geographical range stretching from southern Russia and Kazakhstan to Türkiye and Iran.