TEHRAN - Despite being the 17th most populous country in the world, Iran is ranked 43rd in the world in terms of food imports, the latest data released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows.

Based on the FAO data, the Islamic Republic of Iran imported only $8.3 billion worth of food products in 2020 which indicates that Iran is very self-reliant in terms of agricultural and food products, the portal of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) reported.

FAO statistics show that industrialized countries are the largest importers of food products in the world.   

Based on the mentioned data, the United States was the second-largest importer of agricultural products among 195 countries according to the 2020 statistics.

The United States imported more than $146 billion worth of agricultural products in the mentioned year, more than any other country except China.

Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Italy, Belgium, and Canada are also ranked third to tenth in the world in the ranking of the largest importers of agricultural products in 2020.

German agricultural imports in 2020 amounted to $95.7 billion, the Netherlands imported $69.9 billion of food products, while the United Kingdom imported $61.7 billion, Japan $56.8 billion, France $56.2 billion, Italy $42.5 billion, Belgium $38.4 billion and Canada $35.8 billion worth of such commodities.

According to FAO, Iran currently stands among the world’s top producers of agricultural products.

The Islamic Republic is the third-largest producer of dates, honey, pistachios, and walnuts in the world.

The country is also ranked third in the world in the production of walnuts with 356,000 tons of annual output, while in terms of almond and watermelon production Iran is also ranked fourth.

EF/MG