Iranian Pesticide Use Below Global Average

EghtesadOnline: Iran’s annual pesticide consumption currently averages at 30,000-35,000 tons, the head of Iran’s Plant Protection Organization said.

News ID: ۷۵۱۲۱۲

07 October 2020

“Some 25% of this sum are imported in the form of ready-to-use pesticides and for the remaining 75%, active ingredients are imported, processed and combined into final products in the country,” Kaykhosro Changlavayi was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.

The official said the government is planning to reduce pesticide imports.

“At present, Iran’s average pesticide use on each hectare amounts to 2.2 kilograms, while the global average stands at 2.8 kilograms per hectare. On average, around 0.35 grams of pesticides are used in the country for the production of 1 kilogram of agricultural goods, while the global average stands at 0.65 grams per kilo.”

Director general of the Environment Affairs and Healthy Food Bureau with the Agriculture Ministry says pesticide use in Iran has been experiencing a downtrend every year.

“This is because biological methods used to fight pests are becoming more and more popular, and the Agriculture Ministry has been carrying out programs to instruct farmers and orchard owners on the correct use of pesticides,” Saeed Sa’adat was also quoted as saying by IRNA.

Mehdi Hosseini Yazdi, the head of Pesticide and Fertilizer Importers Union, told ILNA in January that China, India, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Germany and Switzerland are the main exporters of pesticide to Iran.

The official noted that imports from Asian countries are carried out directly to Iran while purchases made from European countries are first transited to Turkey and then exported to Iran via Turkish companies.