Iran’s Agriculture on Alert Amid Pesticide Supply Crisis

TEHRAN (Iran News) Speaking to ILNA, Seyed Mehdi Hosseini Yazdi, the association’s president, identified the main causes of the crisis as the lack of proper foreign currency allocation and a flawed quota system.

He said that around 200 companies active in the sector have been left in limbo, and that 150 private-sector stakeholders have signed a letter to the Minister of Agriculture Jihad in protest against the current situation.

Hosseini Yazdi explained that foreign currency allocations for pesticide imports were divided into two six-month periods over the past year, but even during the first phase, “multiple problems” emerged.

“We repeatedly demanded the publication of the allocation list to ensure transparency, but only information for a few select companies was released, leaving the rest uncertain,” he said.

He sharply criticized the quota-based system for distributing pesticides, calling it “disastrous and wrong.” He also noted that Article 44 (on privatization) has not been properly implemented in the fertilizer sector either, and that currency allocations continue to be limited and unscientific.

“We have repeatedly written to the president, the first vice president, the agriculture minister, and other relevant authorities, but we have received no response,” he added. “Iran’s Agriculture”

According to Hosseini Yazdi, the current quota system is unprecedented in the history of pesticide imports in Iran.

“In previous years, we faced no such issues. Now, quotas are allocated in impractical and uneconomical amounts — for example, one company is given 120 kilograms while another receives five tons. Importing anything less than a full container is simply not economically viable,” he said.

Hosseini Yazdi also responded to recent claims by an agriculture ministry official that the order-registration process has improved.

“Order registration should, as before, be completed within two days. While some officials claim there are no problems, in reality, flawed quota policies have created serious obstacles for pesticide importers. That’s why 150 protest letters were submitted to the minister in a single meeting,” he stated.

The private sector, he added, considers the current situation one of the most critical periods in the supply of agricultural inputs in the country’s history.