TEHRAN (Iran News) Speaking at a specialized meeting with agricultural business leaders in Malayer County, Nouri-Qazaljeh underlined the crucial role of exports in advancing technology and improving productivity.

“If well managed, we can connect even small-scale rural livestock production to export chains. Exports drive technology transfer, enhance efficiency, regulate markets, and integrate us with the global economy,” the minister said.

Nouri-Qazaljeh clarified that issues related to illegal water wells lie outside his ministry’s authority.

“According to the law, we plan agricultural activity based on the water resources allocated by the Ministry of Energy,” he noted, underscoring the need for coordinated water management.

He also announced plans to reform the “Bazargah” platform—an online marketplace for agricultural inputs—describing current operations as disorganized.

“Bazargah should function like a commodities exchange, yet today producers must buy through intermediaries. We are redesigning it to link directly with banks for financing,” he said.

Despite logistical challenges, the minister stated that no shortages of agricultural inputs currently exist.

“Supply of essential inputs has increased by 10–15% compared with previous years,” he said.

He also highlighted progress in facilitating the purchase of farm machinery:

“After three years of delays, the tractor loan program has resumed thanks to new policy measures.”

Nouri-Qazaljeh stressed the importance of supporting smallholder and rural producers, noting a 22% increase in the distribution of subsidized inputs to rural areas over the past year.

He reassured farmers that chemical fertilizers are now fully available and that restrictions on subsidized fertilizer distribution, previously in place, were lifted last year.

Reiterating the country’s long-standing emphasis on self-sufficiency in food production, the minister said: “Food security cannot be achieved through imports alone. We must move toward technologies that, for example, allow us to produce one kilogram of crops using as little as three liters of water.”

He pointed to the expansion of greenhouse farming as a key strategy for sustainable production.

“Greenhouses produce six times more crops while using one-sixth the water compared to traditional farming,” he explained.

Nouri-Qazaljeh also said that the government had successfully managed the New Year holiday market supply without imposing additional costs on the state budget.

The minister emphasized the government’s commitment to combatting corruption and inefficiency in the agricultural sector.

“We are reforming any processes that waste national resources,” he said.

While pledging support for high-tech agribusinesses, he also stressed that small rural producers must not be marginalized.

“We are committed to practical and equitable policies to ensure fair opportunities for all producers,” he stated.

Nouri-Qazaljeh highlighted the role of agricultural exports in generating foreign currency and expressed optimism about the potential removal of foreign-exchange commitments on agricultural exports in the near future.

He called for a focus on “national cohesion” to advance the country’s development agenda.

“The slogan of national cohesion and sacred unity paves the way for progress. Today, it is evident that the Iranian people support the nation’s system, and we must move forward in harmony, free from political divisions,” he said.

The minister praised the spirit of cooperation and synergy in Malayer, describing it as a source of “prosperity and blessing” for the region.

“The history and civility of this city are evident everywhere,” he added.

Nouri-Qazaljeh’s remarks underscore the Iranian government’s focus on leveraging exports as a driver of innovation and market integration, while reinforcing its commitment to self-reliance, equitable rural development, and efficient resource management as the foundation for sustainable growth in the agricultural sector.

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Based on the IRICA data, Iranian farmers managed to export 2.169 million tons of the mentioned products valued at $1.062 billion, registering a 7.7 percent decline in terms of weight, IRNA reported.

As reported, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Russia were the top importers of Iranian agricultural products in the said five months.

During this period, Iran also imported 7.749 million tons of agricultural products worth $4.346 billion, which shows a decrease of 6.17 percent in terms of weight and 19.34 percent in terms of value.

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Based on the FAO data, the Islamic Republic was the world’s second-biggest producer of pistachios and the third-largest producer of dates, honey, and walnuts in the world.

Iran’s pistachio production stood at 135,000 tons in 2021, placing the country in second place after the United States with 523,000 tons of production. Turkey was the world’s third-biggest pistachio producer in the said year.

Iranian farmers produce 1.3 million tons of dates last year, making the country the third-largest producer of this product in the world after Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Honey production in Iran is 77,000 tons in the year under review, which was the highest honey production in a country after China and Turkey.

The Islamic Republic was also ranked third in the world in the production of walnuts with 386,000 tons of annual output. China stood in the first place and the United States was second.

Iran was also ranked third in terms of peach production after Turkey and Uzbekistan. Over 323,000 tons of peaches were produced in Iran in 2021.

In terms of Kiwi output, the country was the world’s fifth major producer of the product in 2021 with 294,000 tons. China, New Zealand, Italy, and Greece were the first to fourth-largest producers of kiwifruit in the world.

The country’s almond production was reported to be 163,000 tons in the said year, ranking Iran in sixth place. The United States, Spain, Australia, Turkey, and Morocco were the top five almond producers.

Iran was also ranked sixth in eggplant production, seventh in cantaloupe production, and ninth in orange, peas, and spinach production.

According to the FAO, Iran is also the 12th largest producer of wheat in the world. The country’s wheat production in 2020 amounted to 15 million tons.

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As IRIB reported, a conference on the investment opportunities of Iran’s food and agriculture industries is also going to be held on the sidelines of the mentioned exhibition.

This conference, in addition to providing practical information on the Iranian market and familiarizing businessmen and traders with the latest achievements of the Iranian food and agriculture industries, will introduce the existing capacities of the country in the mentioned sectors.

With an annual turnover of $16 billion, the UAE’s food and beverage market is one of the largest and most dynamic consumer markets in the region, which can be a good opportunity for the development of Iran’s food and beverage exports.

Currently, Iran holds nearly three percent of the food and beverage market in the UAE, which can be significantly improved with proper planning.

Increasing non-oil exports to neighboring countries is one of the major plans that the Iranian government has been pursuing in recent years.

UAE has been among the Islamic Republic’s top trading partners among the country’s neighbors.

According to the data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), the UAE was Iran’s third main export destination in the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-July 22).

Iran exported non-oil products valued at $2.264 billion to the UAE in the mentioned four-month period while importing goods worth $4.875 billion.

The UAE was the Islamic Republic’s top source of imports in the mentioned time span.

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According to Ghorbani, Iranian farmers exported 795,000 tons of watermelon, 617,000 tons of fresh or chilled tomatoes, 598,000 tons of fresh apples, 528,000 tons of fresh or chilled potatoes, and 284,000 tons of onions, shallots, and garlic in the mentioned period, IRIB reported.

The above-mentioned products were the top exported items during the mentioned nine months in terms of weight, the official said.

He also noted that in terms of value, pistachio, tomatoes, watermelons, dates, and apples were the top exported items, respectively.

In the mentioned period, over 23.411 million tons of agricultural and foodstuff products were also imported into the country, Ghorbani noted.

The five major imported items in the said time span in terms of weight were livestock corn with 6.893 million tons of imports, wheat with 5.28 million tons, barley with 2.678 million tons, soybean meal with 1.971 million tons, and soybean with 1.823 million tons of imports.

The country’s livestock and poultry sectors exported 443,000 tons of products worth $406 million during the said period, while fishery export stood at 88,000 tons worth $159 million, export from the agricultural sector was $4.11 million tons worth $1.409 billion, and orchards exported 1.707 million tons of products worth $1.877 billion.

The total value of Iran’s non-oil trade rose 38 percent during the first nine months of the current year as compared to the same period of time in the past year, the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) has announced.

Alireza Moghadasi said that Iran has traded over 122.5 million tons of non-oil products worth $72.1 billion with other countries in the mentioned period.

According to Moghadasi, the weight of trade in the mentioned period also grew by 11 percent in comparison to the figure for the previous fiscal year.

The official put the nine-month non-oil exports at 92.3 million tons valued at $35.1 billion, with a 40-percent rise in value and eight percent growth in weight.

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Kasimov and his delegation visited Hamedan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and during his visit he exchanged views with officials of the chamber and business activists of the province.

Addressing the participants, Kasimov said that the potential for cooperation between Iran and Uzbekistan in the agro sector is very high, adding that both countries should take advantages of the existing opportunities for expansion of trade ties.

He then pointed to the historic relation between the two countries and commonalities and noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the biggest trade partners of his country.

Kasimov went on to say that the trade exchange between the two countries in the past two years has increased considerably, noting that there were good and useful meetings in Tehran and Hamedan between the traders of the two countries.

He reiterated that his country is well aware that there are good potentials for cooperation with Iran in agro sector and invited an Iranian trade delegation to Uzbekistan for talks and exchange of views and to get acquainted with Uzbekistan agriculture and agro products.

He stated that the meeting in Hamedan was a great opportunity for expansion of bilateral cooperation between Iran and Uzbekistan, adding that 15 entrepreneurs and active traders were accompanying him in his visit to Iran that they can provide the ground for expansion of co-operations.

Kasimov said that such meetings can improve the trade of Iran and Uzbekistan, noting that he hopes the meeting between entrepreneurs of the two countries bears fruits.

Then Head of Hamedan Chamber of Commerce Ali Asghar Zebardast, for his part, welcomed the arrival of Uzbek delegation, stating that Hamedan is one of the oldest provinces of Iran and historically is similar to Uzbekistan and they have many commonalities. He went on to say that Hamedan and Uzbekistan in terms of culture have many similarities.

He went on to say that since the independence of Uzbekistan from the former Soviet Union, 54 documents for cooperation between Iran and Uzbekistan have been signed. He added that in the field of transit and transportation, a four-way MoU has been signed by Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan in order that those countries can transport their goods by rail from Chabahar Port of Iran.

Zebardast went on to say that Uzbekistan is a country rich in agro capacities and it has good products and this country’s vegetables and fruits are exported to 21 countries. He expressed hope during this meeting, exporters and producers of Hamedan Province  in the field of potato and citrus would reach agreements with the Uzbek traders, reiterating that Hamedan Province ranks first in Iran in terms of producing potato and three other agro products. He said Hamedan is also good in terms of producing grapes and raisins and the city of Tuyserkan in the province is one of the biggest producers of the walnut and producers of walnut in the province can reach an agreement with Uzbek traders.

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Ruhollah Latifi said that agricultural products and foodstuff accounted for 10.3 percent of the value and six percent of the weight of Iran’s non-oil export during the seven-month period.

Last week, Agriculture Minister Javad Sadati Nejad said his ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pursuing to develop interactions with neighboring countries to boost exports of agricultural products and realize the country’s goal for becoming an agriculture hub in the region.

“Given the capacities of neighboring countries and with the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the field of economic diplomacy, we can increase the export of agricultural products and interaction with neighbors and become a commercial agricultural hub in the region,” Sadati Nejad said in meeting with his deputies.

As reported by Mehr News Agency, in the said meeting, the official called on his deputies to prepare a list including the export, import and technological needs of the agricultural sector in order to provide to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so that this ministry can refer the needs and capacities of the agricultural sector to embassies.

In the meeting, Mehdi Safari, deputy of economic diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized the expansion of Iran’s agricultural cooperation with neighboring countries and called for introducing Iran’s export potential and import needs in the agricultural sector to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Safari underlined the need for the introduction and transfer of technologies needed by the agricultural sector to the country with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and suggested holding specialized meetings with the presence of deputies of the Agriculture Ministry and heads of specialized organizations.

Despite the economic sanctions, the coronavirus pandemic and the current drought, the exports of Iran’s agricultural products have been increasing in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21) compared to the previous year.

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IRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK

TEHRAN – Iran’s agricultural exports increased by 30.4 percent in terms of volume and 6.8 percent in terms of value during the first four months of the current Iranian year.

Deputy for customs affairs of Iran Customs Administration Mr. Mehrdad Jamal Arvanaghi said that the amount of exported agro products in the first 4 months of the current year is over 2.7m tons which shows 30.4 percent growth comparing to the same period last year which was 2.07m tons.

He added that exported goods this year were valued at $1.69b which shows 6.8 percent growth in terms of value comparing to the same period last year which was valued at $1.58b.

Arvanaghi added that pistachio, tomato, water melon, potato, chocolate, biscuit, apple and cheese were of the major agro products which have been exported by Iran in this period. He further said Iraq, China, Afghanistan, Russia and the UAE were the major destinations for Iran’s exports.

He the highlighted the major actions of the customs administration for easing exports process like allocating a green corridor for export acclamations for agro items.

He reiterated that the outbreak of the Coronavirus has not have any negative impact on exports of agro products due to the measures and health protocols taken by the customs administration.

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