Tehran,Iran, March 8
Trend:
Iran, having reached self-sufficiency in wheat and sugar production, has eliminated the need for imports of these products.
"Regarding the unfair sanctions and economic war imposed on Iran, providing basic goods to people is the priority of the government," said Iranian Deputy Agriculture Minister Abdolmahdi Bakhshandeh, Trend reports citing IRNA.
"At the moment strategic reserves and storehouses are full and 10 basic items are available for people's needs and there are no worries," he said.
"Currently, 97 companies from 13 countries are exporting sheep meat to Iran, and considering the progressed logistic system, airline routes and specialized slaughterhouses in Australia, 70 percent of Iran's imports account for this country. They include daily imports of 100 tons of meet from Australia," he said.
The official went on to add that smuggling of livestock out of western and southern Iran has affected the price of meat in domestic market.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Bakhshandeh said that the funds assigned for the agriculture production in Iran for the next year (starts March 21, 2019), includes $40 million worth of investment in the irrigation systems.