Russia's southern Rostov region has exported 17 tonnes of pork to Iran over a five-day period, the Russian agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor reported on June 26.

Despite this new export, Iran remains largely a pork-free market due to its predominantly Muslim population. Unlike some regional counterparts, Iranian supermarkets do not generally cater to non-Muslim dietary needs. Pork sales are restricted to specific Christian-owned shops, which may sell the meat to their community and foreign diplomats. Iran's Christian minority, numbering around 300,000 and primarily of Armenian and Assyrian descent, are exempt from Islamic dietary laws and represent the primary consumers for this niche market.

The quality and safety of the products were confirmed by laboratory tests, the agency said on its official website, Don 24 reported.

This export could signal a shift in Iran's import policies to cater to its diverse population, or it might indicate growing trade relations between Russia and Iran's minority communities.

However, Iranian officials have not commented on this pork import's intended recipients or purpose.

According to local media reports, the Rostov region had exported 119 tonnes of turkey and duck meat to China and Saudi Arabia.

Russia exported 46,800 tonnes of pork in 1Q23, marking a 32% year-on-year increase, Pig Progress reported, citing the Russian Union of Pork Producers estimates. 

Exports to Vietnam for instance jumped by 130% to 18,800 tonnes, to Hong Kong by 140% to 1,600 tonnes, to Mongolia by 44% to 1,400 tonnes. Sales to Belarus climbed by 18%, reaching 16,600 tonnes. Iran was not listed in the exports. 

Yuri Kovalev, chairman of the Russian Union of pork producers, commented that the steady growth in sales to non-Russian customers is expected to largely mitigate the oversupply problem on the domestic market.

He also estimated that Russian farmers produced 1.42mn tonnes of pork during the first quarter of 2023, 5.6% more than in the previous year.

As followed by bne IntelliNews, Russia is preparing to boost state support for agricultural exports to ease oversupply at home.