Sistan-Baluchestan - Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan is looking to transform its camel-rearing sector into a major economic driver, leveraging a herd of more than 74,000 camels and the region’s arid climate to expand production, create jobs and tap into export markets, according to a provincial official.

 

Sistan and Baluchestan had 74,566 camels, with Delgan and Khash counties serving as the province’s main camel-rearing centers, said Hosseini, deputy head of the livestock production improvement department at the provincial Agricultural Organization.

 

He stressed that camel farming should be developed beyond a subsistence activity, pointing to the economic potential of the entire value chain, from meat and milk to hides, hair and humps. Expanding production and processing could generate numerous direct and indirect jobs, he added.

 

“With targeted investment and institutional support, the sector could also help ease economic pressures that contribute to migration and push young people toward informal employment.”

 

The province produced more than 2,300 tons of camel meat in the Iranian calendar year 1404 (March 2025–March 2026), Hosseini said. “Surplus output was shipped to other provinces as live animals or carcasses.”

 

Despite its production capacity, the province has yet to fully capitalize on the sector’s export potential because of a lack of processing industries, Hosseini said.

 

Developing downstream industries could pave the way for the production of canned camel meat and camel milk powder for export to China, Persian Gulf Arab states, Iraq and Afghanistan, he added.

 

Hosseini also identified the southeastern port city of Chabahar as a potential export hub for camel products, provided that investment is made in packaging, cold-storage facilities and maritime logistics.