Baku, Azerbaijan, July 10
Trend:
Iraj Shiarkar, head of the agriculture department of Astara said that 76 tons of agricultural products were deported to origin countries from Astara Customs due to not complying with the quarantine conditions, the state-run IRNA news agency reported July 10.
The products including wheat flour and wood returned to Russia and Georgia, he said, adding that it is the second time in the current fiscal year, started March 20, that agricultural products returned to origin countries due to quarantine issues.
During the first quarter of the current fiscal year (March 20-June 21), some 114,380 tons of agricultural products worth over $95 million were exported from customs of Iran's north western city of Astara to various countries.
Iran’s agricultural imports from the custom checkpoint stood at 53,083 tons in the same span of time.
In the meantime, Bahram Pourzarb, head of Astara Veterinary Bureau, said that Iran exported over 17 tons of cream cheese to Russia through the Astara border checkpoint.
The cargo, worth $80,000 was exported July 10 under the license of the Veterinary Organization of Mazandaran Province, Pourzarb told IRNA.
During the current fiscal year (started March 20) Iran has exported over 80 tons of cream and cheese, 19 tons of frozen fish, four tons of fish oil and 47 tons of fish powder to Russia and Azerbaijan via Astara land border.
During the last fiscal year, ended March 20, Iran exported some 700 tons of cream cheese, 2 tons of cream, 143 tons of trout, and 143 tons of powdered milk to Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan via Iran's Astara customs.
Astara is on Iran’s border with Azerbaijan and is the country’s door to Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Agricultural and food products accounted for 13 percent of Iran’s total non-oil exports during the last fiscal year.
The country exported 6 million tons of agricultural and food products in the 12-month period, 5 percent more year-on-year. The value of the exports reached $6 billion, 4 percent more compared to the preceding year.
