Sugar Self-Sufficiency on the Horizon

EghtesadOnline: More than 8.1 million tons of sugarbeet have been produced in Iran so far this year, of which 1.95 million tons of sugar have been extracted, the manager of Sugar Beet Project carried out by the Agriculture Ministry said.

News ID: ۷۸۲۱۰۱

14 March 2018

“We have achieved 84% self sufficiency in sugar production this year. With the launch of new sugar factories within the next two to three years, we will become totally self-reliant in this respect,” Alireza Yazdani was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.  Some 1.65 million tons of sugar were produced in Iran last year (March 2016-17), which are unprecedented in the past 120 years.  A ceremony was held at the headquarters of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture in Tehran last July to celebrate the record high production, which met 75% of the domestic demand that year. Iranians have a sweet tooth, as per capita sugar consumption stands at 33 kg per year, six times more than the global average.  Iranians consume between 2.2 and 2.4 million tons of sugar a year. Last year’s imports stood at over 550,000 tons, according to Financial Tribune.