TEHRAN –Over 4.43 million tons of wheat have been purchased from Iranian farmers at guaranteed prices in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21), according to the data provided by the Government Trade Company (GTC).

As reported by IRNA, the total value of the mentioned wheat is estimated at 220 trillion rials (about $5.23 billion) of which the government has so far paid 17.5 trillion rials (about $416.6 million) to the farmers.

Khuzestan province with 1.083 million tons, Fars with 506,000 tons, and Golestan with 449,000 tons of output were Iran’s top wheat providers in the current year, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the country’s total wheat cultivation.

This year, each kilogram of wheat has been purchased at a price of 50,000 rials (about $1.19) which has doubled compared to the previous year.

In recent years, due to self-sufficiency in wheat production and the supply of this strategic product by domestic farmers, wheat imports have been banned.

Iran’s wheat production exceeded 14 million tons in the previous Iranian calendar year 1399.

Over the past few years, the Agriculture Ministry has been implementing several programs for improving wheat production in the country.

Providing seed, pesticides, expert consultations, and technical supervision, as well as damage control programs like weed control, have been among the ministry’s programs for boosting wheat production.

The wheat harvest season is approximately 4.5 months in Iran starting in early April up to mid-August.

Based on the agriculture ministry data, Iranian farmers produced nearly 14.5 million tons of wheat in the Iranian calendar year 1398 (ended on March 20, 2020), 1.2 million tons more than the figure for its preceding year.

Iran’s wheat harvest has been enough to make the county self-sufficient in the production of this strategic crop over the past five years.

EF/MA