Exports of Iranian pomegranates have been held back by production issues and lack of access to some markets, but shippers are hoping next year will see them increase exports to Europe and Asia. If there are no complications from the political situation and rain is more plentiful, increased production could further boost shipments.According to Sam Nouhi of UPRO GROUP, “We had a good number of exports this year. There are about 3,000 tons of pomegranates we are shipping but we expect next year to reach something like 7,000 or 8,000 tons.” A large part of that expected increase is due to new markets opening up. This was the first year UPRO began shipping to Italy, and Sam expects that shipments will continue to increase. They've already sent 40 tons of fruit as a sample this year.
“We are also targeting South Korea and Japan. For my point of view, I think those two markets are the most important, followed by Europe." UPRO is still in negotiations to begin exporting to Asia and the feedback they've received from their Korean partners has been promising.
Iran has a long history of growing pomegranates, and Sam believes that gives local producers a leg up on rival growers in Egypt and India. While the latter may do more volume, he believes Iranian growers can ship fruit with quality rivalled only by Chilean and Californian pomegranates. Because strong local demand keeps a lot of California's fruit in the domestic market, Iran doesn't compete with California.
Chilean fruit also doesn't pose a threat to sales because the Southern Hemisphere's season is opposite Iran's pomegranate season.
“If you're talking about quality, I can assure you that our pomegranates are very different, and so the price is different.” At the moment, he estimated that prices per kilo were around $2.00, which he characterized as very competitive, especially for the quality of the Rabab variety that UPRO ships.
Branding very important
A vital component of UPRO moving into new markets is the marketing plan they're deploying. Right now, they work with wholesale distributors, to re-ship much of their fruit throughout Europe and Azerbaijan. But even when working with brokers, Sam explained that they want to keep a consistent brand, MEYRO (http://meyro.eu), through the entire sales process.
“We are investing heavily in our branding and marketing,” he said. “Our plan is to later go into different products, like sauces, juices and Wine. If consumers have a good experience with our fruit, then when we come with other pomegranate-related products they will remember our brand and the quality of that brand. That's why we insist on a consistent message.”
UPRO is exporting MEYRO's pomegranates with an attached pocket for each fruit. The pocket contains a small brochure with useful information and 2 grams of organic Angelica powder. "Customers can read about the health benefits of pomegranates, how to de-seed the fruit, a MEYRO recipe and a printed QR code."
Sanctions not an obstacle
Some of the country's exporters have complained that trade sanctions on the country have made it difficult to ship fruit to foreign markets. But Sam doesn't believe that's the case. While the sanctions may affect gas and oil exports, he thinks they've only affected imports for most industries. Nonetheless, the sanctions on produce exports will be eased next year, and he's hopeful for a future without any further complications that can affect trade. “Assuming nothing happens, because something unexpected can always happen in this region, I like to think that the next year can be the best year,” said Sam. “If things go back to normal, to the way things were about 10 years ago, then we will be very competitive.”
For more information:
Sam NouhiUPRO GROUP
Tel/Fax (Malaysia): +603 7971 9524
Mob : +60 10 2939 458
Tel (Iran): +9821 88 17 1889
Mob (Iran): +98912 196 34 26
Fax: +9821 89 78 7770
Email: sam@uprogroup.com
www.uprogroup.com