Financial Tribune - More than 160,000 tons of mushrooms are estimated to be produced in Iran during the current Iranian year (March 2018-19), registering a 6.6% increase compared with last year, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture�s Greenhouse, Medicinal Plants and Edible Mushroom Affairs Bureau said.

�It has been ratified in the Cabinet�s Economic Commission that producers of mushroom compost will be entitled to tax exemption from now on. Previously, they had to pay 20-22% tax,� Gholamreza Taqavi was also quoted as saying by IRNA last week.

Taqavi added that currently 900 units are cultivating edible mushrooms in Iran, creating more than 10,000 jobs.

Per capita mushroom consumption in Iran stands at 1-1.2 kilograms, lower than the global average of 2 kilograms and Europe�s average of 4 kilograms.

Currently, more than 20 types of mushrooms are commercially cultivated worldwide, with China, the US, the Netherlands, France and Poland being the biggest producers.