Self-Sufficiency in Wheat

03 May 2010

Iran expects to have domestic wheat production of over 11 million tons this year, the deputy agriculture minister said on Sunday.

"It is predicted that country's wheat production will exceed 11 million tons in the current year which is above the self-sufficiency level," Mohammad Reza Jahansouz was quoted by Fars News Agency as saying.

He gave no comparative figure.

Officials said last month Iran would export 2 million tons of wheat to three Arab countries in May after a three-year halt.

In 2004, Iran celebrated self-sufficiency in wheat production but cold winter weather in 2007-08 followed by drought hit agricultural output and forced it to resume importing the grain.

The government has made arrangements so that the private sector can export wheat at competitive prices.

According to officials, Iran imported 4 million tons of wheat in the past eight months, paying the equivalent of around $1 billion.

The country imported 5.9 million tons of wheat in the 2008-09 year, of which about 15 percent came from the United States.

Iran for the first time exported 40,000 tons of wheat to Oman in 2007-08.

© Iran Daily 2010

http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100503051224/Self-Sufficiency%20in%20Wheat%20in%20Iran/