By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27
Iran expects to harvest 2.1 million tons of rice this year, the country’s deputy agriculture minister, Abbas Keshavarz, said.
The figure will be 6-8 percent more compared to the last year, Keshavarz said, IRNA news agency reported Aug. 27.
Iran’s Agricultural Ministry has announced a ban on rice import.
Iran’s rice production stood at 1.8 million tons in 2015. Meanwhile, Iran still depends on rice imports for its domestic consumption. The country’s total consumption stands at 3.2 million tons per year. The Iranian government bans rice import to support domestic product with only a one or two months break annually.
Keshavarz further said that Iran’s wheat output stood at 14 million tons this year.
The Islamic Republic needs over 13.4 million tons of wheat annually, he said, adding that Iran has reached self- sufficiency in wheat production.
Keshavarz also said that the country’s barley production reached 3.8 million tons this year.
Food security is a serious matter for Iran given its population, which has grown to over 80 million, while the country’s food basket is shrinking.
Wheat is the main crop cultivated in Iran, accounting for almost 70 percent of aggregate cereal production.
Irrigated wheat covers almost one-third of the total sown area. As a result, the bulk of the wheat crop depends on the performance of seasonal precipitation.
Earlier, President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran has stored 30 million tons of wheat, which is enough for 700 days, that is, until 2018.