Pomegranate harvest from Abarkooh gardens in Yazd

There are about 6,000 hectares of pomegranate gardens in the desert province of Yazd, mostly in the cities of Meybod, Ardakan, Yazd, Taft and Abarkooh.

Many of the pomegranate cultivars have are fit for export quality-wise. Of the 40 cultivars produced in this province, 11 are exported to other countries.

This year, Abarkooh farmers harvested the best pomegranate in terms of quality with timely irrigation, non-use of chemical pesticides and timely pruning.

Yazd province ranks fifth in terms of cultivated area and fourth regarding pomegranate production in Iran. The high quality pomegranate cultivars of Yazd province include Yazdi malt, Shirin Shahvazi, Qasr al-Dasht, Yazd Sweet-and-Sour and Gol Taft.

The sweet-and-sour, Black Seed and Hasibi cultivars are exported to Iraq and other countries in the Persian Gulf.

Farmers process a portion of the crop into high-quality traditional paste while they also put aside part of it for fresh consumption and for selling to neighboring provinces.