Director General of the Office of Vegetables and Cucurbits at the Ministry of Agriculture Hossein Asghari said Iran’s agricultural products meet the “strictest international standards” for nitrate residue, including those enforced by Russia.
“The permissible nitrate limit in watermelons is 60 milligrams per kilogram in both Iran and Russia”, he noted.
Asghari questioned the origin of the watermelon shown in a recently circulated video showing a Russian Duma member casting doubt on Iranian produce.
He said there is no clear evidence that the watermelon in the video was from Iran.
Asghari also highlighted critical flaws in the testing method, noting that accurate nitrate measurements must be taken from the edible part of the watermelon, not the rind, and questioned the reliability of the device used in the video.
Also citing a study by Iran’s Soil and Water Research Institute, Asghari revealed that the average nitrate concentration in watermelons produced in Iran is under 10 mg/kg.
“This result is based on 433 samples collected from the country’s main watermelon-producing provinces”, he added.
