Islamic Republic of Iran
سيب زميني
Year2007
Production
5 764 000 tons
Harvested area
518 700 acres
Yield
11.12 tons/acre
A British ambassador, Sir John Malcolm, is said to have introduced the potato to the royal court of Persia during the early 1800s. For a time, the tuber was known as "Malcolm's plum", but it's called the "earth apple" by today's Iranians.
Iran is the world's No. 12 potato producer and the third biggest in Asia, after China and India. Since 1961, production has increased more than 15 times over. In 2007, the country's farmers achieved an all-time record harvest of 5.7 million tons, with per acre yields averaging more than 11 tons. The potato is one of Iran's leading agricultural exports, with shipments in 2005 totalling around 182 000 tons.
Potatoes are grown mostly under irrigation around the southern shore of the Caspian Sea, in the Zagros Mountains, and on the southern lowlands, alternated with wheat, vegetables, sugar beets and fallow in three- or four year rotations. Traditional varieties prized for their culinary qualities continue to be grown in the mountainous north.