Iran will not import wheat in 2024: the course to agrarian independence

Iran's Deputy Agriculture Minister Alireza Mohajer has announced the country's prospects for full self-sufficiency in wheat in 2024, which will end in March 2025 according to the Iranian calendar. According to Iran's ISNA news agency, authorities do not foresee the need for grain imports in the near future. Wheat production has reached 10.5 million tons this year, while imports have fallen to 1 million tons.

Mohajer emphasized that the most important problem for Iran's agro-industry today is the shrinking agricultural land.

Historically, Iran's wheat production has varied depending on climatic conditions, especially rainfall. During periods of drought, the country has faced the need for large-scale imports, which in some years have reached 7 million tons. For example, between March 2021 and March 2022, Iran purchased 7 million tons of wheat due to crop failure, while domestic production was only 4.5 million tons. However, in the 2022/23 crop year, the situation has improved, with imports decreasing to 3 million tons while harvesting increased to 7.5 million tons, notes Mohajer.