According to Rahim Yousefi, director of Horticulture at the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Ardabil, the province boasts 41,000 hectares of orchards, yielding over 370,000 tons of produce annually.
Yousefi noted that Ardabil has approximately 2,420 hectares of vineyards, with 95 percent located in Meshgin Shahr County.
He stated that 70 hectares of the vineyards are dry-farmed, while the remainder are irrigated.
Meshgin Shahr alone has 15,000 hectares of orchards, producing 320,000 tons of produce each year for both local and external markets.
The favorable geographic conditions and significant temperature variations between day and night contribute to the exceptional quality of Meshgin Shahr grapes, which are popular for fresh consumption due to their high sugar content of over 27 percent and crispness.
Yousefi highlighted that about 500 hectares of Ardabil’s vineyards have been modernized, tripling the grape yield.
The most commonly grown grape in Meshgin Shahr is the seedless Soltani variety, which has national fame and is also exported to other regions.
The grape harvest in Ardabil, which began over a month ago, has now concluded, marking another successful season for the province’s viticulture industry.
