BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 9. The number of sheep and lambs farmed in Iran decreased by 20.8 percent, and goats by 17.5 percent, during the first three months of the current Iranian year (March 21 through June 21, 2023), compared to the same period in the last year, CEO of the Livestock Breeders Union of Iran Afshin Sadr-Dadras said, Trend reports.
“In 3 months, the number of sheep and lambs farmed in the country was 4.6 million, and the number of goats was 1.4 million,” he said.
Sadr-Dadras added that the number of small-horned animals in the country was 68.4 million at the end of 3rd month of the current Iranian year (June 21, 2023). Some 51.3 million of them were sheep and lambs. This decreased by 7.1 percent compared to the same month in the last year.
According to the official, the number of goats in Iran was 17.2 million at the end of 3rd month. This is 6.5 percent less than in the same period last Iranian year.
The CEO emphasized that the consumption of red meat in the country has decreased significantly over the past few years. So, currently, red meat consumption per person in the country is reportedly 6-7 kg per year. However, until a few years ago, the annual consumption of red meat per person in the country was about 12 kilograms.
In recent years, various economic factors in Iran, inflation, unemployment, devaluation of the national currency (riyal), sanctions imposed on the country, etc., have resulted in citizens of the country reducing their consumption basket.
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