Iran has made great progress by increasing agricultural production by almost a fifth in a single year, Mohammad Ali Nikbakht, the Minister of Agriculture of the Islamic Republic of Iran, said on July 21, 2024. The results refer to the Iranian calendar year which usually ends on March 20. Therefore, the increase of 19% refers to the period March 21, 2023 – March 20 (19), 2024. In total, 131 million tons of agricultural products were harvested.
Nikbakht said that 10.3 million tons of wheat were purchased from domestic farmers, up from almost 4 million tons compared to the period March 21, 2022 – March 20, 2023. This increased production allowed the government to reduce annual imports from 7 million to 1.8 million tons. For the current Iranian calendar year, domestic purchases of wheat worth 11.5 million tons are estimated.
Nikbakht said exports of agri-food products have reached more than $1 billion. He added that Iran has turned into an exporter of certain agricultural products, including poultry, noting that the country exported 8,000 tons of chicken and 50,000 tons of eggs in the first seven months of 2024.
Illegal and unilateral US sanctions have resulted in a diversification of the Iranian economy, which has led to additional investments in the agricultural sector. These investments are now starting to pay off.
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