Iran achieves 130m tons agro output per year despite challenges: Deputy minister
Iran’s deputy minister of agriculture announced on Sunday that the country produces around 130 million tons of agricultural products per year, including 97 million tons from crop farming.
Speaking at a meeting with members of the Agriculture Commission of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Majid Anjafi underlined that fertilizer shortages and delayed foreign currency allocations are threatening the country’s agricultural performance, IRNA reported.
Anjafi said the sector is facing serious challenges in securing key inputs such as urea and phosphate fertilizers.
“Last year, petrochemical companies were supposed to supply one million tons of urea, but they prioritized exports over domestic needs,” he said.
The official added that the country requires $1.5 billion in preferential foreign currency to import 1.5 million tons of phosphate fertilizer, while only 300,000 tons were provided last year.
The agriculture sector currently needs 30,000 tons of fertilizer, yet just 10,000 tons have been imported so far. “Currency allocations are being made drop by drop,” Anjafi said, highlighting growing concern among farmers.
Referring to recent droughts, he noted that Iran has experienced two major dry spells in the past fifty years — one in 2021 and another this year. “In 2021, wheat production fell to 4.5 million tons, but this year it has reached about 8 million tons,” he said.
Anjafi emphasized that ensuring stable foreign currency allocation is vital for meeting agricultural input needs and sustaining crop production growth.