URMIA, Iran – Apple harvest season has begun in West Azerbaijan, which produces more apples than any other province in Iran. Nearly 115,000 hectares of land in the province are fruit orchards, and more than 60,000 hectares are dedicated to apple trees. In the year ending March 2020, 1.1 million tonnes of apples were harvested in West Azerbaijan province, according to official figures published by Iranian state media. A similar amount is expected to be harvested this year. Though this year's harvest is looking good, apple orchard owners lament the price of packing the fruit. One kilogram of apples costs 6,000 tomans ($0.20). Picked and packaged apples cost 12,000 tomans per kilo ($0.40). "This year’s apples are very good, thank God. The quality this year is much better than last year. The price is good too. However, the cost of packing is high," orchard owner Mehdi Khoshmeram said. "The cost of boxes, cartons, papers and workers are very high. Because these things are expensive, most of the owners have sold off their whole orchards." Apples are either stored or immediately sold off. With more than 400 cold storage units that can store up to one million tonnes of fruit, the West Azerbaijan capital of Urmia has more cold storage units than any other city in Iran. An estimated 60,000 people in the province depend on the apple orchards for their livelihood, according to official figures. The apple and beetroot harvest of early autumn provides 10,000 seasonal jobs; each worker earns 120,000 tomans ($4) per day. Most of Urmia’s apples are sent around Iran, to Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad. They are also exported to Russia, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Armenia. VT by an anonymous freelancer in Iran Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
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