Babol Thomson Orange Producers & Citrus Chain Directory | Iranco
Thomson value chain in Babol — 23,000 ha orchards, Babol Ab, Almas Yar, 120+ sorters and EAEU export lanes
Babol County Thomson sourcing — Rajeh concentrate, Gatab & Ganjafrooz sorting, Imam Reza produce terminal, Surin Trade and Parto Afrooz North.
Agricultural atlas & Babol’s role in Mazandaran citrus
Babol County — Mazandaran’s largest lowland belt — farms 23,000+ ha of citrus and harvests 700–716 kt in favourable years, supplying roughly a quarter of provincial citrus volume. Thomson navel dominates plantings at over 70% of orchard structure.
Harvest peaks mid-November through late December. Gatab, Babolkenar, Bandpey, Lalehabad and the Ganjafrooz / Shahid Salehi corridors concentrate sorting and cold capacity. Rajeh industrial zone hosts Babol Ab, Almas Yar and concentrate infrastructure.
Orchard monitoring & productivity KPIs
| Indicator | Babol status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Citrus area | 23,000+ ha orchards | Ag. authority |
| Gross output | 700–716 kt/year | Official stats |
| Dominant cultivar | Thomson navel >70% | Orchard mix |
| Yield | 28–30 t/ha | Commercial blocks |
| Harvest window | Mid-Nov – late Dec | Seasonal |
| Sorting capacity | 120+ plants, 500 kt pack | Licences |
Key orchard & logistics geography
| Area | Role | Activity | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gatab & Shahid Salehi | Sort & cold | Babantaj wash lines | New Year supply |
| Babolkenar & Bandpey | Orchards & industry | Rajeh, Babol Ab | Concentrate & essence |
| Ganjafrooz corridor | Sort cluster | Gonji, Gholizadeh, Roshan | Hand-picked Thomson |
| Lalehabad | Dense orchards | Upstream fruit | Feeds sorters |
| Mansurkandeh | Industrial park | Hamyar Gostar | Export cartons |
| Imam Sq. / Imam Reza Blvd | Wholesale | Azimi, produce terminal | Price discovery |
Sorting engineering, waxing & cold storage
Hydraulic dump & wash
Soft brushes, fungicide dip; post-pick mould control.
Tunnel drying
Gentle warm air before waxing.
Carnauba / PE wax coat
Moisture lock; 4+ month hold.
Load-cell & vision sorting
Surface defect lane; ±1 g weight bins.
Carton or bin packing
280–330 g export calibre band.
3–5°C cold rooms, 85–90% RH
Hold until reefer stuffing.
Major sorting & cold-store nodes
| Facility | Location | Kit | Target market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babantaj & Sons | Gatab, Isar alley | Above-zero cold, wax | New Year Thomson |
| Hamyar Gostar | Mansurkandeh | Mechanised pack line | Export cartons |
| Babol large cold store | County belt | 3,000 t capacity | Orange & lemon |
| Azin sorting | Orchard axis | Brix, export wax | Metropolitan retail |
| Gonji | Bala Ganjafrooz | Colouring room, sizing | Export hand-pick |
Company & economic operator database
Processing & concentrate plants
| Company / brand | City | Activity | Products | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babol Ab Food IndustriesBrand: Babol Ab Food Industriesbabolab.com · 011-32022970 | Rajeh / East Bandpey | Juice & citrus ingredient plant | Orange concentrate, stabilisers, pulp, nectar compounds | Active |
| Almas Yar Babol PlantBrand: Almas Yar BabolDaily capacity: hundreds of tonnes grade 3 | Rajeh industrial zone | Concentrate & fruit processing | Orange concentrate, fruit purée, pulpy juice | Active |
| Pardou North Citrus ConcentrateBrand: Pardou North CitrusRegistered brand: Pardou | Babol & central supply belt | Industrial concentrate unit | Unclarified pasteurised orange concentrate | Active |
Sorting, cold storage & packing
| Company / brand | City | Activity | Products | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haj Hossein Babantaj Cold & SortBrand: Babantaj Cold & Sort09111141385 | Gatab | Mechanised sort & above-zero cold | Thomson waxing & New Year storage | Active |
| Hamyar Gostar MazandBrand: Hamyar Gostar Mazandco.hamyar@yahoo.com | Mansurkandeh | Sort, grade, export cartons | Mechanised Thomson, export cold store | Active |
| Azin Citrus SortingBrand: Azin Citrus Sorting09119059171 | Babol orchard belt | Export wax & pack lines | Thomson, blood orange, export tangerine | Active |
| Babol Large Cold Store (S Kh)Brand: Babol Large Cold StoreISIC 1513 | Babol outskirts | Standard cold warehousing | 3,000 t citrus capacity | Active |
| Gonji Sort & ColdBrand: Gonji Sort & ColdGanjafrooz road | Bala Ganjafrooz | Colouring room & wax line | Hand-picked Thomson, post-harvest | Active |
| Sabzineh Babol SortingBrand: Sabzineh Babol Sorting09126268012 | Babol | Modern sort & wrap | Thomson export bins, fungicide wash | Active |
| Zabihzadeh Citrus SortBrand: Zabihzadeh Citrus Sort09117427427 | Gardrudbar | Brush wash & sizing | Northern Thomson, local varieties | Active |
| Gholizadeh Citrus SortBrand: Gholizadeh Citrus Sort09112137053 | Hajikola Arzlu | Thermal wax & box pack | Thomson for Babolkenar orchards | Active |
| Azimi Sort & TradingBrand: Azimi Sort & Trading091148267314 | Babol Imam Square | Wholesale & export orders | Sorted Thomson, tangerine | Export |
| Roshan Sort & WholesaleBrand: Roshan Sort & WholesaleRoshan St. 36 | Ganjafrooz road | Regional wholesale sort | Thomson in plastic bins | Active |
Export, wholesale & trade bodies
| Company / brand | City | Activity | Products | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parto Afrooz North TradingBrand: Parto Afrooz NorthChellistas / northern ports | Babol | Reefer export logistics | Export orange & packed citrus | Export |
| Surin Trade Export ConsortiumBrand: Surin Trade Exportsurinexport.com | Babol & Mazandaran | Pooled export contracts | Palletised Thomson to Russia & Caspian | Export |
| Babol Central Produce MarketBrand: Babol Produce TerminalRahimi expressway | Imam Reza Blvd | Commission & price discovery | Bulk Thomson, bins, seasonal citrus | Active |
| Mazandaran Chamber — Babol deskBrand: Mazandaran Chamber Babol011-32195026 | Modarres St. | Export facilitation | Origin certs, northern port liaison | Active |
Packaging & sorting machinery
| Company / brand | City | Activity | Products | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caspian Wood BabolBrand: Caspian Wood BabolCompany ID 14003141900 | Babolkenar | Fruit packaging logistics | Wooden & polymer fruit boxes | Active |
| Caspian Sort / Azarfar MachineryBrand: Caspian Sort / AzarfarRegional technical support | Babol–Qaemshahr beltway | Citrus line engineering | Weight sorters, wrap lines up to 10 lanes | Active |
Domestic trade lanes & export corridors
Babol’s central produce market on Imam Reza Blvd sets daily wholesale prices and commissions loads to Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad and beyond. Export Thomson to EAEU, Iraq and the Gulf moves through Amirabad, Nowshahr and Fereydunkenar with 280–330 g sizing and moisture-resistant cartons; the Mazandaran Chamber desk in Babol issues origin paperwork.
| Market | Pattern | Lane | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russia & EAEU | 5-ply laminated cartons | Amirabad, Fereydunkenar | Quarantine & MRL |
| Iraq & Gulf | Waxed Thomson | Road & sea | Qatar, Oman |
| Domestic wholesale | 10–18 kg bins | Babol terminal → metros | Commission trade |
| Processing pull | Grades 2–3 | Almas Yar, Babol Ab | Aseptic concentrate |
Surin Trade and Parto Afrooz North pool Babol sorting capacity into reefer consignments bound for Octavius, Makhachkala and Gulf buyers.
Compressed Nov–Dec supply, post-harvest decay and Mediterranean fruit-fly quarantine rules push investments in NIR/machine-vision lines and citrus biorefineries (pectin, d-limonene).
Challenges, value-add & development horizon
Restarting Almas Yar, scaling Babol Ab compounds and tighter sort–cold–export orchestration via the Chamber are key to stabilising on-tree prices and Babol’s West Asian food-trade role.
Iranco’s team connects you with active players.