Nuclear accord tastes sweet for Iran citrus

Iran’s nuclear accord bears fruit in season for its horticulture growers who are on course to export $2 billion of citrus and other products to neighboring countries, an Agriculture Ministry official says.

As many as 240 million people across the region savor Iran’s horticultural products, primarily pomegranates, pistachios, saffron, figs, raisins and dates, the ministry’s Mohammad Ali Tahmasbi said.

“After the nuclear agreement with the P5+1, the market for Iran’s horticultural products has been thriving so far that Russia and the Central Asian states have joined it,” the official added.

Up to 50,000 metric tons of citrus fruit will be exported to the neighboring market this year, Tahmasbi said. Iran is the world’s seventh largest producer of citrus fruits, including a variety of oranges, tangerines, limes and lemons.

Citrus groves are mainly spread across the fertile land near the Persian Gulf in the south and the northern Caspian Sea in the provinces of Mazandaran, Gilan, Fars, Kerman, Khuzestan, Hormuzgan and Bushehr.

Because of its unique ecology and rich soil, Iran is the largest fruit producer in the Middle East and North Africa where the variety of climatic zones makes it possible to cultivate a diverse group of crops.