Iran's Ministry of Agriculture Claims Self-Sufficiency Despite Wheat Imports

The executor of the wheat and rice plan at Iran's Ministry of Jihad Agriculture has claimed self-sufficiency in wheat for the years 1400, 1402, and 1403, stating that wheat imports have reached 'zero'. This claim by Sohrab Sohrabi, who has been in charge of the wheat and rice plan since the beginning of the 13th government, comes despite statistics from the Iran Chamber of Commerce indicating that Iran imported about $2.5 billion worth of wheat in 1400 and over $1 billion last year. The Iranian Customs continues to block access to foreign trade data for internet users even under the 14th government, but statements from the head of Iranian Customs, along with statistics from the Central Bank, indicate that wheat imports have continued this year, with Russia being the largest source of wheat imports for Iran. For instance, the Central Bank reported that $5.935 billion was allocated for the import of essential and agricultural goods, including wheat, oilseeds, and animal feed in the first six months of this year. Additionally, statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that Iran imported two million tons of wheat last year, and according to FAO forecasts, this figure is expected to rise to three million tons this year. Iran's annual wheat consumption is approximately 16.5 million tons. Sohrabi's claims of self-sufficiency and cessation of imports come at a time when the government purchased less than 12 million tons of wheat from domestic farmers under guaranteed prices during the last agricultural year, which ended at the beginning of this month, and despite two months having passed since farmers delivered wheat to the government, 20% of the government's debt to them has yet to be settled. Sohrabi further stated that by the end of the five-year plan, self-sufficiency should reach '105%'. The government has set the guaranteed purchase price for each kilogram of wheat from domestic farmers at 20,500 tomans for next year, which is 17% higher than this year, while the inflation rate in the country is twice the growth rate of the guaranteed purchase price of wheat by the government.