A senior Agricultural Jihad Ministry official said that Iran is no longer in need of any rice imports, IRNA reported.
Speaking in a gathering to pay tribute to eight exemplary farmers in this Caspian Sea city on Saturday, Deputy Agriculture Jihad Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Khalil Khodaie said that import of rice has been totally stopped since the beginning of the current Iranian year (started March 21, 2014).
He noted that several agricultural items used to be imported in the past two years even by such provinces as Mazandaran which is a rice producer but the import has stopped.
This certainly harmed farmers and rice cultivators across the country, he stressed, adding that not even one single kilogram of rice has found its way into the country this year.
The policy to increase rice import tariffs by even 40 percent is practically the first step towards supporting production trends inside the country, the official noted.
Khodaie reiterated that the general policy of the Iranian government is to provide a high standard of living, good income and better social prosperity for farmers.