Kashan, Dec 13, IRNA -- Iran with a total of 57,000 hectares of 'pomegranate gardens' is the biggest producer country of the fruit in the world, an Agricultural Jihad Ministry official said on Thursday.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Jihad Akbar Louni said in a workshop on pomegranate held in this province Thursday that 2.8 percent of two million hectares of Iran's total gardens is under cultivation of pomegranate.

He said Iran produces 550,000 tons of the fruit annually which could reach over one million tons through scientific methods.

The official also said that some 1,850 tons of pomegranate worth over 436,000 dollars have been exported from six provinces during the first six months of the current Iranian year ( started March 21,2002).

Louni said the figures indicated rises of 14.5 percent and 15.6 percent in terms of weight and revenue respectively as compared to the corresponding figures last year.

He further said less than two percent of Iran's pomegranate product is exported at present which could go up to 20 percent. Director of Agriculture Jihad department in Kashan said that 2,500 hectares of agriculture lands in this province are under pomegranate cultivation making up more than 35 percent of pomegranate gardens in Isfahan Province.