Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 31
By Rahim Zamanov - Trend:
Iran needs to import 7.5 million tons of wheat in the current Iranian calendar year, which started on March 21, Deputy Agricultural Jihad Minister Hossein Safaee said on Jan. 31, Iranian Fars News Agency reported.
"Majlis Research Center two weeks ago announced that the presented statistics in the agriculture sector are not accurate," Safaee said, adding the economic index needs to be revised.
"The previous administration announced that some 13.5 million tons of wheat were produced in the country last year. Given that domestic consumption is around 10 million tons per year, Iran should have exported some 3.5 million tons of wheat, however, we found we will need to import 7.5 million tons in the current year to meet domestic demand," he noted.
During Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency Iran submitted false reports to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in regards to the country's wheat output.
FAO's report, which is based on statistics provided by the Iranian government, suggests that Iran's wheat production was 14 million tons in 2013.
Iran's domestic wheat consumption is estimated at 12.5 million tons per year. So, based on FAO's report the country didn't need to import any wheat. However, based on Iran's Customs Administration's official statistics, the country imported 6.7 million tons of wheat in the previous year. Tehran also plans to import 7 million tons of wheat in the current year.
Isa Kalantari, the secretary general of Iran's House of Farmers, said last week that Ahmadinejad's administration submitted false reports to FAO. According to him, Iran produced only 7 million tons of wheat in the previous year, but the administration raised the figure to 14 million tons in its report to FAO.
Edited by C.N.