Iran to supply China with first honey shipment

An official says Iran will soon send a shipment of honey to China, which itself is the world’s top honey producer.

“This is a very good opportunity to strengthen the position of Iran's honey in the world markets,” Touraj Saremi, the Head of Iran’s Beekeeping Development Plan, told Fars news agency.

The shipment will come in the wake of President Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi’s landmark visit to China in February, which resulted in the signing of several agreements. Iran’s Minister of Agriculture Javad Sa’adatinejad was part of the delegation, who signed a document for exports of Iranian products, including honey, to China.  

Normally, China makes about 500,000 tonnes of honey a year, or about a quarter of global output. It exports more than 100,000 tonnes to places like Europe and the United States. However, a coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent stringent measures to curb the virus have taken their toll on the country’s beekeepers.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Iran holds the third rank in the world in terms of honey production after China and Turkey.

Saremi, however, said FAO has to update its statistics on Iran which would probably place the country in the second place.

Iran, he said, produced 136,000 tonnes of honey in 2022, but FAO has cited a much lower figure of 77,000 tonnes for the year.

Nevertheless, Iran’s honey production capacity is even higher due to its plant diversity and natural resources. There are 8000 plant species in Iran, which are three times more than those in the European continent.

ME