Tehran, Iran, April 16
Trend:
The deputy Minister of Agricultural Jihad Abbas Keshavarz said that Iran's current rainfall is about 265 mm, which is similar to that of 1999, 2000, 2006, and 2007.
“Our estimates for wheat production this year were 15.5 million tons for autumn, but due to recent floods, our estimate now is about 14.5 million tons,” he said, Trend reports via the ministry's website.
“We have no problems in supplying wheat to the country," Keshavarz said.
Referring to government's special measures to buy wheat from the farmers, he said that the government has to purchase the wheat from farmers and pays its money on time and in cash.
"The production of oats will increase by more than 20 percent," he said, adding that livestock farmers should not be concerned about the oat supply.
He said that wheat production would increase in Khuzestan, although about 800,000 to 900,000 tons, equivalent to $476 million trillion of wheat, was damaged due to flood.
Speaking of rice cultivation in Mazandaran Province, he said that some damage was done to the land, but not much for the rice fields.
Further speaking of rice imports, he said that for three years, the Ministry of Agriculture has been trying to prevent the imports of rice in favor of domestic production.
“We have to interfere in the market and purchase the rice at the negotiated price,” he said.