Rouhollah Latifi added that the tonnage of exports witnessed a 12% rise compared with last year's corresponding period, according to Financial Tribune.

Speaking to IRNA, he noted that Iran exported dairy products to 33 countries during the period, adding that 20 types of dairy products are exported from the country.

Iraq was the biggest importer of Iranian dairy products worth $266 million, followed by Afghanistan with $54 million and Russia with $43 million.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Morteza Rezaei expects the export of dairy products to reach 1 million tons by the end of the current Iranian year (March 19).

Iran is among the top milk producing countries in the world.

According to Secretary of Iran Dairy Industries Union Reza Bakeri, close to 7 million tons of milk are produced in the country annually, 450,000 tons of which are exported as dairy products.

The official said Iran's dairy industry has created around 120,000 direct and 480,000 indirect jobs.

“More than 2 million people are employed across the dairy production chain from the raw materials and input sector to animal farms, factories and the distribution sector,” he said.

Hossein Chamani, an advisor to the Iran Dairy Industries Union, told Fars News Agency that per capita milk consumption in Iran stands at 80 kilograms per year, which is very low and should stand at a minimum 270 kilos. 

According to FAO, Iran is among the medium-consumption countries with a per capita dairy consumption of 30 to 150 kg per annum. Other countries in this category are India, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, northern and southern Africa, most of the Middle East and most of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Costa Rica, Europe, Kyrgyzstan, North America and Pakistan are among high-consumption countries with a per capita rate of more than 150 kg per annum. 

The low-consumption countries and regions with a per capita rate of under 30 kg per annum include Senegal, most of Central Africa and most of East and Southeast Asia.

Milk contributes 27% to the global value added of livestock and 10% to that of agriculture.

The global dairy sector is growing fast. World milk production is projected to increase by 177 million tons by 2025, at an average growth rate of 1.8% per annum in the next 10 years. 

Over the same period, per capita consumption of dairy products is projected to increase by 0.8% and 1.7% per year in developing countries, and between 0.5% and 1.1% in developed economies. 

Because of the sheer size of the dairy industry, these growth rates can produce big payoffs for people’s livelihoods, for the environment and for public health.