India's Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is preparing to export bananas from Uttar Pradesh to Iran for the first time. The shipment, sent from the Mango Pack House at Malihabad in Lucknow district, will be transported through Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Navi Mumbai. This comes as Iran, which imported 375,407 tons of bananas worth $255.31 million in the fiscal 2020-21, seeks to expand its banana plantations in Sistan-Baluchestan province by 2,000 hectares in partnership with the private sector, using modern technology to improve yield and quality. Iran also exports apples to countries like Iraq, Russia, and Afghanistan, with the export of apples standing at 884,798 tons worth $326.67 million in the fiscal 2020-21.