TEHRAN: Iran exported about 1.37 million tons of processed food products worth more than $2.07 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year (March 21-Dec. 21) to register a 13% and 0.5% growth in weight and value respectively compared with the similar period of last year.
Secretary-General of the Federation of Iranian Food Associations Kaveh Zargaran also said processed food exports accounted for close to 6.6% of Iran’s total non-oil exports over the period. Chocolate with around $188 million, cheese and dry whey with $154 million and yoghurt with $141 million were the main processed food shipped to overseas destinations, together accounting for 23% of the value of exports, ILNA quoted Zargaran as saying. The official added that dairy products comprised 30% of the exports with more than 321,000 tons worth $620 million, showing a 5% and 9% growth in volume and value respectively year-on-year. Zargaran, who is also the chairman of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture’s Agriculture Commission, explained that chocolate and confectionary, tomato paste and fruit juice and concentrates with $414 million, $139 million and $99 million worth of exports respectively were the top three exported groups over the period. Potato products with $74 million and 153% YOY rise, and flour products with $57 million and 886% YOY upsurge saw the highest growth in exports. Zargaran added that livestock, poultry and fish feed exports saw a 97% hike to stand at $57 million during the period.
On the import of processed food products, he said close to 3.4 million tons worth more than $3.46 billion were imported to Iran during the same period to register a 4% and 17% growth in weight and value respectively compared with the corresponding period of last year.
The main imported products were rice (over $1 billion), raw vegetable oil ($989 million), meal ($957 million) and veal ($93 million),” he said.
The increase in food exports come as world food prices rose 8.2% in 2017 from the previous year, reaching their highest annual value since 2014, on an index compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization.
