Iran’s Food Industry Exports Set to Rise
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran plans to boost the export of its food industry products this year as part of efforts to develop non-oil exports.
Mehdi Sadeghi Niaraki, the director general of the Industry, Mines and Trade Ministry’s Department of Food, Medicine and Health Industries, said the country’s food industries aim to export over $3 billion worth of products by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (began on March 21, 2015).
He noted that last year, the Islamic Republic’s foodstuff exports weighed 1.4 million tons and were valued at $2.3 billion, showing a 16 percent growth in weight and 10 percent rise in value compared to the previous year.
According to the official, Iran’s major food industry exports last year were dairy products and ice cream ($642 million), confectionery and chocolate products ($543 million) and Saffron ($226 million).
Iran has stepped up efforts in recent years to enhance its non-oil exports and reduce dependency on its oil revenues.
Last year, the country’s exports of commodities and natural-gas condensate reached $50 billion, showing a 19 percent increase.
There was also a boom in Iran’s service exports in diverse sectors, including tourism, engineering, and transit.