Is there no better solution for surplus than burring?
After 1700 tonnes of potatoes being buried near Shiraz a month ago –still unclear why-, recent rumors say Date fruits have been buried in Khorasan. The news was strongly denied by provincial agricultural organization.
Iran with 1mt Dates produced in 2013 is the third largest producer after Egypt (1.3mt) and Saudi Arabia (1.2mt), according to FAO. Iran Custom Office Report for 2013 shows the export of 167kt Dates, worth $226m. Its annual consumption in the country is about 550kt.Therefore at least 200kt should be left as surplus.
Price of Iranian Dates ($653/t) remains considerably lower than its competitors, e.g. $3395/t in 2012 both for Algeria and Saudi Algeria, says FAO. Traditional production methods and lack of proper packing make it difficult for Iranian Date to be competitive despite its high quality.
Danish Minister Seeks Partnership
Tehran hosted a Danish Business delegation, led by Kristian Jensen, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The visit has been a step forward in increasing the two countries’ trade-size of $200m to about $500m in the near future.
Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, Minister of Oil, mentioned the recent negotiations with Maersk Group, the largest container ship and supply vessel operator, as a starting point.
Mr. Jensen in a meeting with Mr. Nematzadeh, Minister of Industry and Business, promised Denmark support on speeding membership of Iran in WTO.
Novo Nordisk, Danish leading pharmaceutical company in diabetes care, also confirmed building a manufacturing plant in Iran, worth €70m.About 5m Iranians suffer diabetes, reckons Iran Health Ministry.
Restricted Free Market: a New Type of Market!
The Government will no longer regulate Iranian Airline prices. After two years negotiations, now the airliners can finally offer their fairs in a free market. Airliners happy of such a liberty, started to set their fairs in response to demand.
Tehran-Mashad flight price became more than double few days before Imam Reza*’s martyrdom anniversary, a national holiday. This led to an outrage between passengers who are not used to free market prices.
Now the Government wants to interfere in controlling the prices for Norowz holidays, Iranian New Year, keeping “profiteers” out of market. Such solutions, however, are in contradiction with free market rules, making lots of confusion among investors in this industry.
* The shrine of Imam Reza, 8th Imam of Twelver Shiites, is located in Mashad.
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