Product Type and Specifications
The cultivation of dates takes place in certain parts of the world, and it is not possible to cultivate dates in the rest of the world. From the geographical point of view, these distances range from 29 to 39 degrees north latitude and up to 1500 meters above sea level.
Due to the geographical location of Iranian market, the country has a good advantage in terms of cultivating dates and developing date gardens. Of the 400 date varieties of Iran, at least 30 varieties have commercial value and are suitable for planting in different regions of the country.
It is one of the world's first 3 producers, producing about one million tons of dates a year out of Iranian market. According to the Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture, Iran's production of dates increased from 232 thousand tons in 1360 to 1006 thousand tons in 2008. Currently, Iranian dates due to lack of proper processing have low prices on world markets. With the implementation of a processing operation (washing, moisture control, polishing, grading) on dates, the quality of the packed dates will increase and by creating a better market and better advertising out of Iranian market, it can be supplied at a more affordable price on the domestic and foreign markets and more value added.
Iranian market is one of the largest date producers in the world, accounting for 21% of cultivated land and 14.81% of world production, however, only one-tenth of the country's dates of production are exported with a very low export value out of Iranian market.
Iran is the second-largest producer of dates in the world, due to the lack of new markets and traditional packaging, is in the seventh category of its exports. Each year, more than seven million tons of dates are produced in the world, with Iran producing one million tons of it in the second place of global date production. Iran is the second largest producer of dates in the world after Egypt, but given the fact that Iran's export date is 10 kg and traditionally, Tunisia and the UAE, with small packages, have taken Iran's place in export markets.
Exports of Iranian dates in the first three months of this year fell by 9.3% to $ 32.3 million. According to Iran's customs statistics during this period, Iran's exports of date are started from $ 15.4 million. In the same period last year, $ 35.7 million were shipped from the Iranian market to the global market. Exporting these dates requires refrigerated containers, and if for any reason these glaciers are in trouble, the dates are soured and ruined.
The average per capita consumption of dates is about one kilogram, which is, of course, much higher in the world's pastime. Saudi Arabia consumes 34 kilograms per capita; the world's most consumed per capita consumption. Dates processing and packaging also includes:
1- Disinfection of dates
2- Washing
3- Moisture removal
4- Polishing
5- Grading
6- Packing
Dates are currently packed for marketing in Iran without washing and polishing, which are two important steps that will increase the quality of the product.
According to the official website of the Iranian Customs Office, an average of 120 thousand tons of dates is exported annually from Iranian market, which is equivalent to 12 percent of the country's production dates. Meanwhile, among the figures presented, "Mazafati" has the highest exports, with a price of about $ 2 per kilogram sold in 2013. However, most of the dates of the export date, with the exception of the dates of the pyramid, are issued at a price of one dollar and less, so paying more attention to the packaging and processing of dates, given the capacities of the industry, could lead to an increase in export prices.
Considering the production in large volumes and variety of dates in Iran, it seems that there is a good atmosphere for the further development of date palm and its derivatives. One of the most important non-business day vacancies in the business is to operate internationally and, at specialized packaging and branding, can export globally and increase the final price.
The Secretary General of the House of Commons, referring to a 35 percent loss of production in Iranian market, said that 10 percent of the total production of dates was exported out of Iranian market, 55 percent were consumed inside the country, and the rest would be extinct.
According to the East, the loss of 55 percent of date production in the country has made the villagers do not care about the production because, given the great difficulty of planting a palm, it does not benefit much from farmers' income, which leads to dissatisfaction and, ultimately, the destruction of palm trees In some provinces of the country, we have been discussing this with Hussein Mousavi, General Secretary of the Association of Dates, which you read later.
What is the amount of date production in the country?
Mousavi: About 900 thousand tons of potatoes are produced annually in the country, with a per capita consumption of 550 thousand tons, from which 80 to 90 thousand tons are exported and the rest of the product becomes waste.
Date in Iranian market has had an important place. This production is a key industry due to the climate of Iranian region and date’s capacities over global marketing, the needs and its importance in human beings diet.