“Last year, close to 68,000 tons of colza were produced in the country, registering a 51.1% increase compared with a year before,” Alireza Mohajer was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
This is while Deputy Agriculture Minister Abbas Keshavarz put last year’s colza production at around 65,000 tons.
Keshavarz noted that more than 960 tons of colza seeds have been distributed among domestic farmers for cultivation this year, 80% of which were produced using indigenous technology. The ministry plans to achieve 70% self-sufficiency in the production of oilseeds in the next 10 years to curtail the import of oilseeds and vegetable oil. Per capita vegetable oil consumption in Iran is about 18-19 kilograms a year. The global average is 12 kilograms, according to Financial Tribune.