Irna

Peyman Forouhar told Iran Daily that the target markets for Iranian bottled water were Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. 

He added that the Persian Gulf littoral and Central Asian states are among other export destinations for Iran's bottled water.

Describing the domestic market turnover of the business as relatively low, Forouhar said, 'Only three percent of the Iranian society consumes bottled water. This is while the percentage is much higher in other countries.'

He put per capita bottled water consumption in Iran at between 15 liters and 16 liters per year whereas the figure stands at 150 liters per year in Tukey and the Persian Gulf littoral states.

Commenting on the reasons for the low per capita bottled water consumption in Iran, Forouhar said the main cause is that pure and potable water is easily available through urban water supply piping system in more than 95 percent of the regions in the country.

He noted that bottled water is sold at very low prices in Iran, adding a 1.5-liter bottle of mineral water is priced at slightly above half a dollar in the country; while one has to pay €1.5 to buy the same thing in Europe.

Forouhar said bottled mineral waters produced in Iran have a very high quality ranking among the world's bests.

'The amount and types of minerals and salts found in mineral waters differ from region to region depending on the climate and soil in each area. Iran's geological condition is such that the amount of salts and minerals in its mineral waters is neither too large nor too small. This has made the country's mineral waters taste great and have a high quality.'

The major part of the bottled mineral water produced in Iran is obtained from springs bubbling up out of the rocks in the two major mountain chains: Alborz and Zagros, he said, noting that these two mountain ranges have given the country an edge over its neighbors and, particularly, the Persian Gulf littoral states in this industry.

'Given the increase in the price of bottle and raw materials needed for packaging, the prime cost of producing bottled mineral water in Iran is not comparable to that in other rival countries. Production of bottled water in Iran becomes economical once the problems involved in supplying raw materials to domestic producers are resolved.'

Forouhar said, normally, due to a decline in bottled mineral water consumption during the cold seasons, the sales of the product witness an up to 50-percent drop in fall and winter.