Official: Iran Ready to Replace Arab States, Turkey with Russia for Export of Food Products.

Official: Iran Ready to Replace Arab States, Turkey with Russia for Export of Food Products. (Fars).

Iranian producers are ready to replace Russia for the transit and export of their food and agricultural products after some Arab countries severed their ties with Iran and also due to the Ankara-Moscow strained relations, a trade official announced.

"Russia as a consumer and a bridge between Iran and the European countries will replace Turkey and Arab countries for export of our food products," presiding board member of Iran's Food Industries Association Alireza Moravatpour told FNA on Wednesday.

He reiterated that the replacement of Russia for export of Iran's food products will inflict heavy losses on Arab trading companies, and said, "Instead Russia's big market will open doors to the Iranian producers and traders."

The official noted that the Arab countries acted as a broker for export of Iran's food products, and Iran is now to replace them.

"Given the recent developments in the region, Russia will act as a bridge for export of Iran's food products to replace the Arab countries," Moravatpour added.

In relevant remarks in mid-December, the executive director of the Iranian Trade Association Hedayat Asqari outlined the prospects of replacing Turkish fruit, meat and fish with Iranian products in the Russian market.

Asqari said that an Iranian delegation had already clinched a preliminary agreement with a Moscow-based wholesale company on the supply of Iranian fruits and vegetables to the Russian capital.

“We have bought 60,000 tons of apples, kiwis, cucumbers and other produce, as well as about 10 million cans of fruit syrup, which are ready to ship to Russia as soon as we get a go-ahead from our Russian partners,” he said.

The official said that the Iranian Trade Association is also ready to supply fish, eggs and meat to the Russian market to fully satisfy the Russian consumers’ demand for such products.

Now that Russia has sanctioned Turkey as one of its main suppliers of agricultural products, the Iranian businessmen have doubled their efforts to take the Russian market.

On November 23, High-ranking Iranian and Russian officials inked 7 cooperation Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Hmmm........Will do wonders for the Turkish Economy.