Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11
By Fatih Karimov– Trend:
Over 52 percent of Iran’s agricultural lands are under wheat farming, Operator of Wheat Self-Sufficiency Project Esmaiel Esfandiaripour, said.
Iran’s total agricultural lands are about 12 million hectares, the official said, ISNA news agency reported July 11.
Esfandiaripour further said that Iran has decreased the wheat farming area by 600,000 hectares in the past three years.
The Iranian administration purchased 11.5 million tons of wheat from farmers in last year, he said, adding that the Islamic Republic has reached self-sufficiency in wheat production.
The country’s wheat reserves are enough for over one year, he added.
Iran’s wheat production reached 14 million tons during the current year. The country plans to export its surplus wheat to Iraq and Afghanistan in flour form.
Almost 7.5 million tons of wheat is used by bakery units in Iran and the country’s food industry also needs 2.5 million tons of wheat every year.
Adding the amount considered as strategic reserves to the figure, the Islamic Republic needs over 13 million tons of wheat annually.
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