Khoy County Sunflower Seed Producers & Processors | Iranco
Sliver & white-striped value chain, Khoy Nuts Market, industrial sorting and an 11-unit processor and wholesale database
B2B guide to Khoy sunflower seeds — Eshghali, Aghdam, Alimirzaloo, Haghiri, Tekin, cold cooperatives, Nuts Market and Heydarzadeh/Sharifi machinery; 31–38k t harvest and exports to Iraq and the Gulf.
Strategic role of sunflower seeds in Khoy County
Khoy in West Azerbaijan is the Middle East’s largest hub for production, sorting and trade of snack oilseeds. Alluvial soils and local climate favour unsaturated oils, aroma and stable hull colour.
13–25 thousand hectares are planted to snack sunflower yearly, with 2–3.5 t/ha yields and 20,000+ households depending on the chain. Harvest from late August to mid-October drives liquidity at Khoy Nuts Market.
Variety grades and technical–commercial specs
The plain combines native Khoy sliver types with white-striped hybrids and high-oleic oil lines:
| Grade | Origin | Form | Caliber | Kernel yield | Target market |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Khoy sliver | Central Khoy plain | Elongated, glossy black | 220–240 / 50 g | 45–50% kernel | Traditional snack & export |
| White-striped S300/S400 | Khoy & Dizaj Diz | Wide, white rim | 190–210 | 40–45% | Retail auto-fill lines |
| Almond-type (Sangari) | Border & satellite towns | Teardrop oval | 230–250 | 50–55% | Bulk wholesale |
| High-oleic hybrid | Ivoghli plain | Small, dark | >350 | 30–35% | Oil crush & meal |
Processing, derivatives and by-product value
Beyond raw seed: salted, lemon, vinegar, golpar and double-roast (biscuit-crisp kernel, matte hull). Dehulled kernels feed industrial bakery and chocolate.
Lignocellulosic hulls become biofuel and orchard mulch; oilseed meal at 28–32% protein enters feed mills.
| Derivative | Technology | Customer | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roasted snack seed | Rotary kettle, salting | Retail & export | High margin |
| Dehulled kernel | Impact dehuller, gravity | Industrial bakery | Added value |
| Industrial hulls | Biomass | Energy & fibre | Waste to revenue |
| Oilseed meal | Post-press | Livestock & poultry | Nutrition |
Industrial sorting and cleaning chain
Active Khoy plants typically run this three-step sequence:
Mechanical pre-cleaning
Variable air flow & multi-deck screens; stems, heads and dust removed.
Vibratory sizing
Diameter/thickness split for uniform roast calibration.
Optical colour sorter
RGB + NIR; defective kernels ejected by air guns.
Geographic matrix of production hubs
Snack sunflower farming extends across Khoy County:
| Area | Role | Processing | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Khoy plain | Premium sliver output | Urban workshops | Highest field tonnage |
| Dizaj Diz | Sunflower pole | Raw supply to market | Satellite town |
| Ivoghli | High-oleic pilots | Limited plants | Transit corridor |
| Firuraq, Safaiyeh, Qotur | Farm expansion | Local cleaning | Periphery & border |
Processing infrastructure & local machinery
Khoy Industrial Zone hosts packing plants and cold stores; a 44 ha dedicated dried-nut park adds laser sort, toxin labs and truck terminals.
Heydarzadeh and Sharifi workshops domesticate most cleaning cyclones, dryers and stainless roast kettles used in the county.
Active companies database
Key processors, wholesalers and equipment builders in Khoy’s sunflower chain:
Processing, packing & cold chain
| Unit / brand | Location | Activity | Main products | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khoy Eshghali Sunflower ProductsBrand: Eshghalieshghalinuts.com · 044-36250000 | Khoy, Resalat Blvd | Processing, roasting, packing, nationwide online sales | White-striped, sliver, oil-type, puffed & lemon | Export active |
| Khoy Tekin Cooperative No. 141Food & pharma phase | Khoy Industrial Zone | Plant processing, hygienic cleaning & packing | Packed sunflower, nuts & pulses | Domestic |
| Khoy Dried-Fruit Cooperatives No. 184Food block | Khoy Industrial Zone | Cold storage, controlled atmosphere, bulk cleaning | Sunflower & pumpkin, oil seeds | Infrastructure |
Wholesale, trading & export
| Unit / brand | Location | Activity | Main products | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aghdam Dried-Fruit Trading (Hadi Aghdam)044-36253266 · 091446989506 | Nuts Market / Chamran Blvd | Processing, industrial sort, hybrid seed import, export | Raw & roasted seed, kernels, hybrid seed | Export active |
| Alimirzaloo Trading (Tokhme Amir)Brand: Tokhme Amir09141650873 | Nuts Market, stall 39 | Cleaning, salting, sort, wholesale & export | Sliver, white-striped, Canadian types | Export active |
| Haghiri Dried-Fruit Co.044-36258093 | Khoy, Adab-Jou St | Hybrid seed import, sorting, packing | Hybrid seed & raw sunflower | Export active |
| Saeed Mousanezhad Nuts WholesaleOn-site stall 8 | Nuts Market, No. 8 | Caliber sorting, seed supply, banking | S300/S400 white-striped, T6, pumpkin | Wholesale |
| Pirkandi Nuts WholesaleNuts Market floor | Nuts Market | Direct farm bulk buy, primary cleaning | Raw snack sunflower, pumpkin | Wholesale |
| Haj Hassan Aliloo Nuts044-36220000 | Behind Nuts Market | Traditional roast, regional bulk sales | Roasted sliver & white-striped | Domestic |
Machinery & line equipment
| Unit / brand | Location | Activity | Main products | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heydarzadeh Agri Equipmentadavatheydarzadeh.ir · 09141600000 | Khoy workshop district | Design of cleaning lines & cyclone dust control | Sunflower cleaners & mechanical sorters | Machinery |
| Sharifi Roasting MachineryFetourehchi workshop | Hashemi Khoyi Blvd | Rotary roasters, salting drums, dryers | Roasting & flavoring equipment | Machinery |
Khoy Nuts Market and pricing
Khoy Nuts Market is the largest physical dried-nut exchange in the Middle East: 250–400 stalls, 3,000+ direct jobs and annual turnover above 4,000 billion tomans. Stall prices benchmark Tehran, Mashhad, Tabriz and Isfahan.
Lots are priced on bulk weight, lightness ratio and kernel moisture. The local union oversees traditional credit trades; caliber heterogeneity and crack-test inspection limit commodity-exchange uptake.
| Variable | Status | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| FX rate | Tariff swings on imports | Pull or slump at Khoy market |
| Oil-type imports | Low-duty HS codes | Pressure on native snack seed |
| Informal fringe trade | City margins | Sharp price volatility |
| Harvest window | Aug–Oct | Peak cash & supply |
Exports, conflicts and destinations
Khoy links to Razi border and Bazargan highway. Destinations include Iraq, Kurdistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Gulf. Over 90% of outbound volume is bulk raw seed; added value is often finished in hub ports.
Tariff mismatch
Snack imports from China, Canada, Argentina under oil-seed codes; suppresses Khoy floor prices.
Sanitary barriers
Aflatoxin and residue limits; field drying in wet years raises rejection risk.
Bulk export bias
Raw seed dominates over sorted kernels and luxury packs; margin captured in Dubai.
Sustainable development outlook
Completing the 44 ha nut park, splitting snack vs oil HS codes, mechanical dehulling with kernel optical sort, and contract farming with industrial-zone packers are core upgrades for Khoy.
Uniform imported seed feeding national auto-pack lines periodically squeezes farmer liquidity and Khoy market stalls.
Field mechanical dryers, certified hybrid seed and shared peroxide/aflatoxin labs in the nut park open EU and premium Gulf access.
- Relocate traditional stalls to the nut park with shared colour sorters
- Customs enforcement of separate HS for large snack sunflower
- Private investment in dehulling and uniform industrial kernels
- Grower–packer contracts to stabilise export quality
Iranco connects you with verified players in this chain.