Iran has exported some $270 million worth of dates in the 10 months to January, an industry source has said.
Mohsen Rashid Farrokhi, who serves as head of the National Date Association of Iran, said on Saturday that dates exports shipments from the country had reached more than 0.2 million metric tons (mt) in March-January.
Rashid Farrokhi said that exports will increase by another 0.12 million mt in the holy month of Ramadan which starts in early March.
He said that total dates production in Iran had reached 1.3 million mt in the 10 months to January, making the country the third largest producer in the world after Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
The businessman said, however, that Iran has the largest diversity of dates varieties in the world, adding that annual exports can easily reach $600 million to $700 million in the next two years.