Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 5
By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:
If in 1978, about 580,000 tons of sugar was produced in Iran, this figure increased by 245 percent to over 2 million tons last Iranian year (started March 21, 2017), Alireza Yazdani, executive official in the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture Jihad’s Sugar Beet and Sugar Cane Project, said in an interview with the Young Journalists Club (YJC), Trend reports.
He said Iran supplies itself with sugar by 85 percent.
He noted that sugar is a vital product in ensuring the country’s food safety. Iran is one of the 10 countries purchasing sugar beet and cane sugar from producers in 118 countries, he said.
An average of 2.2 million tons of sugar is consumed in Iran annually, he noted. Last Iranian year, more than 2 million tons of sugar were produced in the country, he said. Given the current situation, no sugar imports are needed, he added.
“About 1.5 million tons of sugar were imported in 2013, however, this figure reached 88,000 tons this year (started March 21, 2018),” he said.
About 7.9 million tons of sugar cane and 8 million sugar beets were harvested last year, he noted.