Iran Among Biggest Chicken Producers

EghtesadOnline: Iran produces over 2 million tons of chicken annually, standing among the biggest producers of chicken in the world, a deputy agriculture minister said.

News ID: ۷۸۱۱۲۸

14 January 2018

Hassan Rokni added that Iran’s per capita chicken consumption stands at 26-27 kg per year, while the global average is 13 to 15 kg, Mehr News Agency reported. Iran exported 16,000 tons of chicken meat worth more than 312.96 billion rials ($7.47 million) during the five months to Aug. 22, the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration’s latest data show. The main export destinations for Iranian chicken were Hong Kong, Iraq, Qatar, Vietnam, Taiwan and Macau, Young Journalists Club reported. According to Mohammad Yousefi, the head of Broiler Breeders Union, last year’s exports stood at about 50,000 tons, down from 80,000 tons in the previous year, registering a 37.5% decline. “The reason for this decline was that poultry and egg exports from the country had been banned due to the outbreak of avian flu,” he said. H5N8, a dangerous strain of the bird or avian flu virus, was first detected in seven provinces late November last year, but was contained a few months later, according to Financial Tribune.