Iran's Dairy Export Surge: A Look at Recent Trends

According to a report by Tasnim news agency, Iran has seen a substantial rise in its dairy exports, reaching $280.7 million in value over the three months ending June 21. This marks an impressive 32% increase compared to the same period last year.

The demand was primarily driven by Iraq, which accounted for nearly 40% of the purchases, followed by Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia. These countries were major buyers of Iranian dairy products during this period, as reported by Press TV.

Milk powder was the leading product, constituting 28% of dairy export shipments. Ayran and kefir followed at 19%, with cheese making up 16% of exports, indicating a diverse product range being exported from Iran, according to the Iran Dairy Industries Society (IDIS).

An underlying factor contributing to this growth is the Iranian government's subsidized currency for animal feed imports, which has helped boost dairy exports from the country.

IDIS earlier reported that in the 11 months up to late February, Iran exported over 0.587 million metric tons of dairy products valued at $948.9 million. This represented a 19% increase in volume and a 43% escalation in value compared to the previous year.

Efforts to diversify Iran's economy beyond crude oil revenues have led to policies encouraging food exports. The Iranian customs office reported that agricultural product exports reached around $5.2 billion in the year to March 20, reflecting a 29% growth from the prior year.