Iran’s wheat output to rise 10% to 14.5m tons: USDA
Figures by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) show that wheat output in Iran is going to increase by 10% this year.
USDA figures cited in a report by Iran’s official IRNA showed that total wheat output in Iran could reach 14.5 million tons this year, up from 13.2 million tons reported in 2022, Press TV reported.
The figures mean Iran will be the 12th largest wheat supplier in the world in 2023, said the USDA.
That comes as global wheat production is expected to remain almost flat this year at 789 million tons from 788 million tons reported last year, showed the figures.
The USDA said Iran’s wheat imports will drop by 0.5 million tons to 4 million tons this year, adding that wheat inventories in the country will remain at levels seen at the end of 2022 which were reported to be 4.44 million tons.
The figures showed that Iran’s barley output is also expected to increase by 7% to 3.2 million tons in 2023 while imports will reach 2.3 million tons over the same period, up slightly from 2.2 million tons of imports reported last year.
Iran has sought to rely more on domestic agricultural output for its food security purposes since 2018 when the United States imposed sanctions on the country and restricted its access to international trade.