According to Rahmatollah Parichehr, the executive manager of the Agriculture Ministry’s "Olive Project", should the envisaged goal be realized, the country will witness a 20% increase in olive production compared with last year's output.
The official said the ministry’s researchers have identified 600,000 hectares of land suitable for olive cultivation.
Currently, Iran has 90,000 hectares of olive orchards, of which 56,000 hectares bear fruit, he added.
“Domestic demand for olive oil exceeds 12,000 tons per year. Last year, more than 3,500 tons of olive oil were mainly imported from Turkey, Italy, Spain and Greece,” he added.
The Agriculture Ministry plans to increase olive production to around 200,000 tons per year by 2022 to provide the grounds for self-sufficiency and the exports of the product to the international markets.
MNA/4666055