History of Soybeans and Soyfoods in the Middle East (1910-2007)
William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi
Publication Date: 2008 Jan
Number of References in Bibliography: 825
Earliest Reference: 1910
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Brief Chronology of Soy in the Middle East
1967 – Iran: 3,000* tonnes (metric tons) of soybeans are produced on 5,000* ha in Iran; yield: 620 kg/ha. Production in Iran increases to 11,000* tonnes in 1968, then 45,000* tons in 1969, 47,000F tonnes in 1970, and 50,000F tonnes in 1971. * = Unofficial figure. F = FAO estimate. Iran appears to have passed Turkey in 1969 to become the largest soybean producer in the Middle East) (FAO Production Yearbook 1971). But note: Amirshahi (1976) stated that in1967 Iran cultivated only 500 hectares, one-tenth the 5,000 unofficial figure from FAO (above).
1968 – Yemen: Soy products (Corn Soy Milk) first reported in Yemen (Inglett et al. 1968)
1979 – Iran: This year Iran produced 150,000 metric tons of soybeans on 70,000 acres; yield: 2,143 kg/ha (Shanmugasundaram 1982, p. 139).
We have seen no record of soybeans being cultivated in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, or Yemen.