Mohsen Rashid Farrokhi said Iran exported $270 million worth of fresh dates to foreign countries in the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2023).
Speaking in an interview with IRNA, he said that the largest number of species of dates in the world belongs to Iran.
Dates are mainly produced in the provinces of Khuzestan, Hormozgan, Kerman, Bushehr, Fars and Sistan and Balouchestan, he noted.
Egypt is the first producer of dates in the world producing 1.8 million tons/year, followed by Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Iran stands in the first rank in the world in terms of the variety of species of dates, Farrokhi noted, IRNA reported.
Iran can export about 350,000 tons, i.e. 30% of its produced dates, to the target countries, he added.
Iran exports its dates to the Central Asian countries, Europe, Russia, and the Commonwealth Independent States (CIS), he highlighted.
With the adoption of accurate export policies, Iran can export between $600 and $700 million worth of this product overseas within the next one or two years, Farrokhi added.