According to the statistics of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), 1,703 tons of edible mushrooms, valued at 42.1 million, were exported from the country abroad from March 21 to September 22, 2023, Elham Fattahifar stated.
This is while about 5,646 tons of mushrooms, valued at $6.862 million, had been exported from the country in 2022, she said, adding that the mushrooms were exported to countries including Qatar, Armenia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Iraq, Pakistan, Georgia and Bahrain.
According to the statistics of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released in 2021, Iran managed to produce about 180,000 tons of edible mushrooms, standing in the 7th place in the world.
China produced 41,117,736 tons of mushrooms and stood in first place in the world, followed by Japan, Poland, and the United States respectively, she continued.
Presently, edible mushroom is produced in most provinces of Iran including Tehran, Alborz, Isfahan, Khorasan Razavi, Fars, Qazvin, Khuzestan, Mazandaran and Chahahrmahal and Bakhtiari, she said.
Fattahifar pointed to the production of various species of mushroom in Iran and the world and added, “According to the available statistics, more than 37,500 species of mushroom have been identified worldwide, 2,000 species of which are edible and only 25 species of these mushrooms are produced for exports.”