Iran is the top exporter of rose water in the world, the head of Rose Water and Herbal Essences Union in Kashan, Reza Navvabi, said.
According to him, Iran exports rose water to 30 countries, mainly to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.
Navvabi noted that despite efforts to introduce the product to the world, rose water is not in high demand, since many nations are unaware of its use - unlike rose essence which is well-known and widely consumed in perfume industries of Bulgaria and Turkey.
He added that China began importing rose water from Iran two years ago, along with Korea that uses the comforting and refreshing effect of the product in saunas, and Germany which has recently imported it to meet food industries’ demand.
The head of the union added that Iran produced 30,000 tons of rose water in Kashan in the year to March 20, 2018 and the figure is expected to reach 33,000 tons this year.
Currently 75% of rose water is produced in 730 traditional workshops and 68 factories of Kashan, and the neighboring cities of Qamsar, Neyasar and Bazrak, IRNA cited Navvabi as saying.
