TEHRAN — Iran is marking National Honey Day on Saturday, 31 Mordad (August 22), highlighting the country’s long-standing beekeeping tradition and the economic potential of an industry that remains largely focused on the domestic market.
National Honey Day is observed annually on 31 Mordad to recognise the work of beekeepers and raise public awareness about the importance of honeybees, both for honey production and for agriculture and the environment. Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture has also emphasised the importance of protecting honeybees and developing the beekeeping sector.
Iran is among the world’s significant honey-producing countries. Official Iranian figures have previously put annual honey production at around 136,000–140,000 tonnes, with tens of thousands of beekeepers operating millions of bee colonies across the country.
Yet, despite this considerable production capacity, only a small share — around 1 percent in some recent estimates — is directed towards export markets. This limited export presence represents a significant missed economic opportunity for Iran, particularly given the international demand for natural and high-quality honey.
Recent trade figures illustrate the gap. Iran exported about 1,703 tonnes of natural honey worth $6.49 million in 2022, according to UN Comtrade data. More recently, Iranian agricultural authorities reported that 595 tonnes of natural honey worth more than $2.15 million were exported in the first six months of the current year, with Iraq accounting for 68 percent of the shipments.
The low proportion of production reaching international markets means that a potentially valuable source of foreign-currency earnings and agricultural exports remains underdeveloped. Expanding exports could also encourage investment in packaging, quality control, processing and branding, allowing Iranian producers to capture greater value rather than selling honey primarily as a raw agricultural product.
Iran also has considerable scope to expand exports of higher-value products derived from beekeeping. Beeswax, royal jelly, propolis, pollen and bee venom can command substantially higher prices than ordinary honey, while developing a stronger value chain could create additional income for beekeepers and related industries. Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture has previously highlighted the higher added value of several of these products.
However, improving international market access requires stronger quality-control and certification systems. Research has identified quality and adulteration concerns as an important challenge for Iranian honey and noted barriers to access to some major international markets, including Europe.
On National Honey Day, the industry therefore faces a paradox: Iran has a substantial production base and a long beekeeping tradition, but only a fraction of its honey reaches international consumers. Increasing that share could transform honey from primarily a domestic food product into a more important non-oil export commodity, generating additional foreign exchange and strengthening rural livelihoods.
For an economy seeking to diversify its exports, the honey industry offers a relatively small but potentially valuable opportunity — one that remains far from fully realised.
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