Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan.8/ Trend F.Milad/
Iran plans to produce 15 million tons of wheat in the next Iranian calendar year which begins March 20, Deputy Agricultural Jihad Minister Naser Tavakoli said on Tuesday.
Putting the country's annual wheat consumption at nine to 10 million tons, Tavakoli went on to note that Iran can export up to five million tons of wheat next year, the Fars News Agency reported.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Iran was the eleventh leading producer of wheat in the world in 2012.
Based on the latest FAO report, 'Crop Prospects and the Food Situation', Iran's wheat production reached 13.8 million tons in 2012.
The report added that Iran's wheat production in 2011 was 13.5 million tons and the country ranked thirteenth among the world's largest wheat producers.
Among the major producers of wheat, the European Union (EU) with 130.8 million tons and China with 119 million tons were the top two producers of wheat this year.
The United Nations body also noted that the global wheat production was the second highest ever at 690 million tons in 2012.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger, raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy.