Iranian pomegranate production could hit a million tons this season
Iran's Agriculture Ministry has forecast 6% growth in volumes for the pomegranate industry this season as producers gear up for harvests within a month, website Presstv.ir reported. 
The ministry's tropical and semitropical fruits office head Abolqassem Hassanpou told the media outlet that output was expected to reach one million metric tons (MT) this year, asserting the country's place as the world's leading producer of the fruit.
He told Presstv.ir the harvest would take place over 62,000 hectares of land in Iran's central, southern and northeastern provinces.
Out of the 940,000MT produced last year, around 100,000MT was exported, mostly to China, the Persian Gulf Arab states and Europe.
Hassanpour highlighted exports to South Korea would resume after inspections of samples showed no sign of contamination, as alleged by importers, the story reported.
The pomegranate is said to originate from Iran, where it was a symbol of fertility in Ancient Persia. Today, the capital Tehran hosts a pomegranate festival every October.
Photo: www.shutterstock.com
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