Financial Tribune - For the last 15 years, Iran’s total production of dates has stood at 1 million tons per annum while domestic demand is 600,000 tons, the secretary-general of the National Association of Iran’s Dates said.

“The 400,000-ton surplus is exported or fed to livestock,” Ali Asghar Mousavi was also quoted as saying by Mizan Online News Agency affiliated to the Iranian Judiciary.

He added that Iran’s dates export does not exceed 80,000 tons annually. North America, Europe and the neighboring countries are export destinations for Iranian dates.

“Russia and the UAE are the biggest markets of our dates. However, dates exported to the UAE are re-packaged and shipped to other countries such as India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Bangladesh,” he said.

Iran ranks among the top three dates producing countries worldwide. Different varieties of dates are grown in Khuzestan, Hormozgan, Bushehr, Fars, Kerman and Sistan-Baluchestan provinces.

The report also noted that Iranian dates are sold in the market at prices over 10 times more compared to those traded at palm-groves. They are bought at about 18,000 rials ($0.4) per kilo from farmers but are sold at 200,000 rials ($5.3) in the market by middlemen.