Iran has become the world’s 14th largest fruit producer by annually producing 20 million tons of fruit in 2.7 million hectares of gardens. In spite of excess production, fruit is still being smuggled into the country. Mojtaba Shamloo, Head of Tehran Gardener Union told Ebtekar: “We don’t know whether to call this smuggling or secret import. Fruit cannot be imported on a small scale therefore finding it should not be difficult.”
The sales of certain fruits such as Brazilian lemons and green apples has been banned in farmers markets and these imported fruits are usually directly sold to green grocers. Smuggling fruit also carries the risk of plant disease.
