The chairman of the National Date Association of Iran said that Iran, after Egypt, is the second largest producer of dates in the world, and stands in the first rank in terms of variety of dates.
Mohsen Rashid Farrokhi stated that 1.35 million tons of fresh dates are produced in Iran annually on average.
He put the per capita consumption of the dates in the country at 7.5 kg.
Seventy percent of the total dates produced annually in Iran is consumed in the country while the remaining 30 percent is exported overseas, Rashid Farrokhi added, Mehr news agency reported.
The official put the current foreign exchange yield of date exports in the country at about $350 million, adding that this figure can increase to $500 million.