A total of 173,062 tons of bananas worth $113.68 million were imported into Iran during the first four months of the current Iranian year (March 20-July 21).
According to Spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration Rouhollah Latifi, the imports were from Ecuador, India, Philippines, Turkey, Russia, Vietnam and the UAE, Mehr News Agency reported.
Zahra Jalili-Moqaddam, director general of Agriculture Ministry’s Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Bureau, said an average of 450,000 tons of bananas are imported into Iran every year while domestic production of the fruit stands at around 120,000 tons per annum.
According to the official, the domestic production capacity of bananas as well as other tropical fruits are higher than the current levels.
“The Agriculture Ministry is prepared to grant incentives, bank facilities and subsidies to help farmers produce these fruits,” she said.