Iran’s minister of agriculture has banned the import of 48 agricultural products from around the world, including Egyptian oranges. The chairman of the Egyptian Citrus Growers Council Khaled Abu Ismael warned against the implications of the decision, given that Iran is the third largest importer of Egyptian oranges.
According to Bloomberg News Agency, the Iranian minister, Sadegh Khalilian wrote to the ministry of commerce demanding that imports of certain fruit, fruit concentrates and dairy products be halted until further notice.
The list of products includes onions, garlic, potatoes and strawberries as well as apples from France, pears from China and oranges from Egypt, according to the newspaper. The ban also includes powdered milk, pomegranate and tomato concentrates.
The move comes two weeks after the Agriculture Ministry announced that non-essential imports would be restricted.
Abu Ismael told Al-Masty Al-Youm the decision was not the first of its kind, and that Tehran had a policy to stop certain imports coming into the country, the length of the ban will depend on Iran’s production capacity and needs of the local market.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
