TEHRAN– In the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-Septemebr 22), Iran’s agricultural imports decreased 29 percent compared to the same period last year, said the Iranian deputy agriculture minister Abdolmehdi Bakhshandeh.

 
Bakhshandeh said Iran’s agricultural imports amounted to $515 million in the seven-month period, Showing 29 percent decrease in comparison to the previous year’s figure of $717 million.

In terms of volume, he said, the country imported 103,000 tons of agricultural products which marks 18.42 percent decline from 126,000 tons in the same period last year.

Iran’s agricultural import in the mentioned period totals 22.9 percent of the country’s non-oil imports.

Bakhshandeh added that, during the seven-month period, exports of agricultural goods also amounted to 15.36 percent of the total non-oil exports.

In this period, Bakhshandeh said, Iran exported 272,000 tons of agricultural goods worth $295 million up from 267,000 tons valued at $291 million, in the same period last year, showing a 1.26 percent rise in terms of value and a 2.19 increase regarding their volume.

The country also exported $6.6 billion of agricultural products in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, up 27 percent compared to its preceding year.

Last year, agricultural imports also amounted to $12 billion, revealing a 9 percent fall compared to its preceding year. 

According to the Iranian Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati, by producing over 90 million tons of agricultural products per year, Iran is among ten top countries in the world. 

SJ/