Iranian mushroom production is predicted to reach 180,000 tons by the end of the current fiscal year (March 2019-20), says the chairman of the board of the Union of Mushroom Producers. Mohammad Hassan Afshar noted that Iran produced 152,000 tons of mushroom last year (March 2018-19).
According to Afshar, the average export price of Iranian mushroom is at $2 per kilogram while the global average is $2.5 per kilogram. Iranian mushroom is exported to all neighboring countries, except Saudi Arabia and Turkey, he added. The official noted that Iran is the world's sixth biggest producer of edible mushrooms, adding that a monthly average of 170 tons is exported from Iran.
“Seven percent of the total exports go to Iraq and the rest to the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan," he said. Currently, there are 900 edible mushroom producers in Iran, providing jobs for more than 10,000 people. Per capita mushroom consumption in Iran stands at 1-1.2 kilograms lower than the global average of 2 kilograms and Europe’s average of 4 kilograms. Currently, 20 types of mushrooms are commercially cultivated worldwide, with China, the US, the Netherlands, France and Poland being the biggest producers.
