A total of 62,595 tons of fresh and dried apples worth $215.09 million were exported from Iran in the fiscal 2022-23 (ended March 20), registering a 36% decline in terms of weight compared with the year before.According to statistics released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, the value of one kilogram of exported apples (fresh and dried) stood at 34 cents in the year under review, which was 28 cents in the fiscal 2021-22, the news portal of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture reported.The exports were shipped to Armenia, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, the UAE, the UK, Ukraine, Belarus, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Japan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Somalia, Iraq, Oman, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Poland, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia and India.Iraq with 296,000 tons of exports was the top destination of Iranian apples in the fiscal 2022-23. It was followed by Afghanistan with 94,000 tons and India with 83,000 tons.Afghanistan, the UAE, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq and India accounted for 93% of apple exports in terms of weight in the year under review.According to Daryoush Salempour, an official with the Agriculture Ministry, the highest volume of apples was exported from Iran in the fiscal 2021-22 with 985,000 tons. Iran was the second apple exporter in the world (after China) in that year, Mehr News Agency reported.The official said 4 million tons of apples were produced in the fiscal 2022-23, registering a 7% fall compared to the year before due to weather changes, frost and hail at the beginning of the year.The area under ​​apple cultivation in Iran is 247,000 hectares. Salempour noted that Iran ranks third in the world in terms of area of apple orchards and ranks fourth in terms of apple production.West Azarbaijan, East Azarbaijan, Fars, Isfahan, Tehran, Zanjan and Hamedan are the main apple producing provinces of Iran.According to ResearchAndMarkets, Asia-Pacific leads the global consumption of fresh apples, with a 62% share of the global market. The rise in consumption as well as the increased strength of distribution channels in the region is one of the major drivers of market growth. China is the largest producer of apples in the world, which are highly popular in that country. It remains the largest apple-consuming country worldwide, with a consumption rate of 40 million metric tons, which constitute approximately 48% of the total volume. Apple consumption in China exceeded the US consumption by tenfold. China was the second-largest consumer, with 4 million tons of apple consumption.India is also one of the potential markets for apples, as health consciousness among its citizens is increasing at a faster pace. For instance, Indians have developed a taste for fresh apples during the pandemic, which has resulted in a sharp increase in the import of fresh apples in the first nine months of the fiscal 2022-23. Imports of apples during April-December more than doubled from a year earlier and were also 14% higher from the whole of fiscal 2020-21 when there were Covid-related restrictions on the movement of goods. (ICE TEHERAN)

Fonte notizia: Financial Tribune