Iran among major exporters of grapes, raisins in world
By Sadeq Dehqan
Staff writer
Iran is one of the largest producers and exporters of grapes and raisins in the world, an Iranian lawmaker says.
In an interview with Iran Daily, Rajab Rahmani, the representative of the city of Takestan in Iran’s Parliament, said that the country is the third largest exporter of raisins in the world, after the United States and Turkey.
According to the Agriculture Organization of Qazvin Province, the UK, Germany and Russia are the main destinations of Iran’s raisin exports, he said.
Rahmani noted that grape orchards account for most of the orchards in Qazvin Province, which ranks second in the country in terms of grape production and cultivation area, and first in terms of raisin production and exports.
The Iranian lawmaker said a major part of the grapes produced in the country is turned to raisins and exported to other countries. He noted that most of the province’s grapes is produced in Takestan. The city has 25,626 hectares of vineyards, which accounts for 75% of the province’s vineyards, and 11.2% of the country’s vineyards.
He added that 304,000 tons of grapes are produced in this city every year, of which nearly 70% to 80% are turned into raisins.
Rahmani referred to the province as one of the most important provinces in the fields of agriculture and industry.
In spite of the fact that the province makes up only one-hundredth of the country’s land, five percent of the mineral and production facilities are located in this province, he said.
The parliamentarian also pointed to the problems facing agricultural productions, saying that damage inflicted by frost and pests as well as water shortage have negatively affected production in the province.
Currently, 194 villages and 14 cities in the province are facing severe shortage of agricultural and drinking water. However, he said that several plans have been proposed in Parliament to settle the problem, said Rahmani.
He said that three dams have been built so far while three more are under construction in the province to supply drinking and agricultural water to the people and farmers.
He also said that Parliament has approved a law to reform the horticulture system.
Rahmani said that Qazvin Province ranks among the country’s top provinces in terms of agricultural production, which also produces vegetables, especially tomatoes, potatoes and onions.
Given its geographical location, the province meets the needs of most of the country’s cities in the field of agricultural products.