Less than 10% of dates produced in Iran are exported

Less than 10% of dates produced in Iran are exported

Ali Asghar Mousavi said: about one million tons of dates are produced annually in the country and about 500,000 tons are consumed domestically.

He stated that about 500,000 tons of surplus dates are produced in the country, adding that due to the lack of global marketing for the export of dates, only about 80,000 to 100,000 tons of this amount are exported and the rest are either eaten or destroyed.

Mousavi, noting that about half of the country’s dates are consumed during the holy month of Ramadan, said: This year, the date harvest season is after Ramadan, and therefore most of the harvested dates in the current crop year will remain in the hands of gardeners.

The secretary of the country’s date association added: Profits from date production go to intermediaries and brokers, and despite a lot of effort, date producers and gardeners get a small profit.

He stated: Brokers and intermediaries have a decisive role in determining the price of dates and the required dates are bought by these people during the holy month of Ramadan and transported to Tehran.