Iran's export of honey hit $5.6 mn last year: official

TEHRAN, Aug. 21 (MNA) – Iran exported 1,469 tons of high-quality honey, valued at $5.6 million, in the previous Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2023 to March 19, 2024), an official at the Ministry of Agriculture said.

Speaking on the occasion of National Day of Honey, Iran’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture for Livestock Productions Affairs Mohammad Ebrahim Hassannejad pointed to the boom in the production of honey bees including royal gel, wax, propolis, pollen, and also bee venom which all have more added value than the honey itself and added that beekeepers have fortunately showed interest to increase their income in the beekeeping industry.

He went on to say that 121,000 tons of honey in the country last year (ended March 19, 2024) and noted, “In addition, over 10kg of honey bee’ venom, more than 9,000 royal gels, over 885 tons of pollen and 183 tons of propolis were produced in the bee breeding units of the country in this period.”

According to the latest statistics of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Iran stood at the 4th rank in terms of bee colonies and also third rank in the world in honey production terms.

FAO also said that 2.150 million tons of honey is annually produced in the worldwide.