Olive Output Expected to Reach 120K Tons by Fiscal Yearend

EghtesadOnline: A total of 115,000 tons of olives have so far been harvested in Iran and output is estimated to reach 120,000 tons by the end of the current fiscal year (March 20), according to the Agriculture Ministry official.

News ID: ۷۸۵۸۰۱

20 January 2021

“We expect olive oil production to reach more than 9,000 tons this year,” Javad Mir-Arab Razi was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.

Based on figures released by the Agriculture Ministry, annual domestic demand for olive oil stands at 15,000 tons, part of which is imported.

Olive oil is mainly imported from Turkey, Italy, Spain and Greece.

According to Mahmoud Emami, another official with the ministry, per capita olive oil consumption in Iran stands at 180 grams per year.

The average world per capita olive oil consumption is 430 grams, about three times more than in Iran.

However, Iranians eat more olive in brine, such that per capita consumption in Iran stands at 850 grams against 360 grams in the world.

The Agriculture Ministry plans to increase annual olive production to around 200,000 tons by 2022 and increase per capita consumption of olive oil to 190 grams per year.

Leading olive growing regions in Iran include Fars, Kerman, Hormozgan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Qazvin, Gilan, Golestan and Zanjan provinces.

Around 40,000 Iranians earn their living through olive cultivation.