Kazakhstan exporters can supply up to 3 million wheat to Iran

Domestic purchases of grain in Iran decreased by 37%. This situation in the country's food market still provides an opportunity for Kazakh farmers to earn money, World of NAN reports, citing inbusiness.kz.

About a month ago, the secretary of the Iranian parliament's agriculture committee said the country would need to import wheat in the current Iranian calendar year, which began March 21, as a severe drought has significantly reduced the production of this strategic crop.

"Although our strategic wheat stocks are currently in good condition, this needs to be put on the agenda to meet future needs through imports," Zabihollah Azami told IRNA news agency.

So far, the Iranian government has already purchased 4.7 million tons of grain worth 230 quadrillion rials ($839 million) from farmers across the country, a 37 percent drop from the guaranteed purchases for the same period last year, the head of the National Wheat Farmers Foundation said.

"Purchases are estimated to continue until late September. However, we are confident that by then the figure will not exceed 5 million tons. This means, in addition to strategic reserves, the government needs to import more than 3 million tons of staple grain to meet annual domestic demand," Ataollah Hashemi was quoted by the Young Journalists Club as saying. And this is while last year 2 million tons were imported only to replenish the country's strategic reserves, he added.

In this regard, a statement by Rahmatollah Parichehra, a member of the board of directors of Iran's Central Organization of Rural Cooperatives, who said that the Islamic Republic exports about $6 billion worth of agricultural products annually, an amount that could rise to $10 billion, is interesting. According to Parichehra, Iran's annual agricultural production is 120 million tons and employs 18 percent of the country's able-bodied population. "Despite the pressure of sanctions in recent years, we have seen a boom in production in the agricultural sector, and this shows that this sector is very resilient to the pressure of sanctions and economic problems," he said.

To recall, in recent years, due to the self-sufficiency of wheat production and the supply of this strategic product by domestic farmers, the import of wheat has been banned. In the previous year its production in Iran exceeded 14 million tons. Over the past few years, the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture has implemented several programs to improve the country's wheat production. These include: provision of seeds and pesticides, expert advice and technical supervision, and damage control programs such as weed control.

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