FAO: Iran 2nd Biggest Cereal Producer in Near East

Iran ranked second after Turkey (with 36.1 million tons) in total cereal production in 2017 in the Near East.

The figure for the country’s total grain production in 2015 stood at 18.3 million tons.

Based on FAO’s report released earlier this month, Iran’s wheat production in 2018 is forecast to stand at 12 million tons, which will indicate an 11.1% decline compared with the estimated amount of 2017. Iran produced 11.1 million tons of the crop in 2016. It has been self-sufficient in wheat production for two consecutive years, Financial Tribune reported. 

The Government Trading Corporation of Iran is expecting wheat sufficiency to continue in the next fiscal year (starting March 21).

Iran imports wheat only to reexport its processed byproducts.

GTC is a government-owned company specializing in the purchase, import and distribution of essential foodstuff. It is the lever for enforcing market controls. 

The company is also in charge of maintaining a supply of wheat, rice, cooking oil and meat, as the country’s strategic reserves of essential commodities.

Coarse grain production is estimated to have reached 4 million tons last year. The figure for 2016 amounted to 3.8 million tons, down from 4.4 million tons in 2015.

Rice production is estimated to reach 3.1 million tons in 2018, 200,000 tons more than the production of last year. The figure amounted to 2.3 million tons in 2015, according to the report.

FAO also forecasts that Iran’s cereal reserves will stand at 3.5 million tons in 2018, down from the estimated 4.9 million tons in 2017. The figure amounted to 7.3 million tons in 2016.