BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 5. The export of potatoes from Ardabil province, located in northwestern Iran, is expected to reach 200,000-300,000 tons in the current Iranian year (from March 20, 2024, through March 20, 2025), the Deputy Director of Agriculture Department of Iran's Ardabil Province Gafur Aghayi told reporters, Trend reports.
According to him, about 22,000 tons of potatoes were exported from Ardabil province from August 22 through September 5. It was mainly exported to Azerbaijan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan from the province.
Aghayi added that more than 850,000 tons of potatoes have been exported from Ardabil province this year. The province's own consumption is about 200,000 tons per year.
The official pointed out that the storage capacity of potatoes in Ardabil province is 230,000 tons. 130,000 tons of it can be stored in specially equipped warehouses, and 100,000 tons can be stored in farmers' traditional warehouses.
“Since farmers store potatoes in the old and traditional way, every year some of them become waste. If farmers grow potatoes consciously and can store them properly in warehouses, this product can be more profitable for them,” he said.
To note, Iran's average annual potato production is 5 million tons.