According to official figures Iran exported flowers and ornamental plants valued at $25 million to 30 countries in the year to March 21, 2018, said the head of Ornamental Plants Research Center of the Iranian Agricultural Jihad Ministry, IRNA reports.
Speaking to Iran Daily, Mohammadreza Shafi’ei added this comes as unofficial data put the country’s exports of flowers and ornamental plants at $50 million in the same period.
He said the overseas sales of flowers and ornamental plants can fetch the country $1 billion in a short period of time, in case the ground is prepared to this end.
He put the industry’s global annual turnover at $150 billion, expressing regret that although Iran accounts for 1.5 percent of the world’s yearly production, its share of the international exports of these products fails to exceed 0.1 percent.
During the past few years, the major part of Iran’s exports of flowers and ornamental plants was destined to, mainly, Iraq, he said, adding Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Russia were other major markets for Iranian products.
Shafiei said, “Our products are even exported to countries such as the Netherlands, France, Japan and the US, which are, themselves, among the world’s major producers of flowers and ornamental plants.”