Baku, Azerbaijan, June 16
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Iranian Agricultural Minister Mahmoud Hojjati has announced a ban on rice import.
According to Hojjati, rice import will be banned as of July 21, IRNA news agency reported.
Iran's rice production stood at 1.8 million tons in 2015. Iranian households regard the home-grown types to be superior to those imported from India.
The Iranian government bans rice import to support domestic product with only a one or two months break annually.
Rice is the staple product for almost half of the global population. Over 90 percent of the global rice output and consumption is concentrated in Asia, with China and India both the world's largest producers and biggest consumers.