Agriculture Products Archives - Iran News Daily

Iran wheat production can reach 14m tons this year

reporter 1222 — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 04:11:20 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran is expected to produce 14 million tons of wheat in the current Iranian calendar year (which started on March 20).

Esmaeil Esfandiarpour the manager of the Agricultural Jihad Ministry’s wheat production project and an advisor to the agriculture minister, added wheat harvest in the country has already begun in Bushehr Province (southern Iran) and Sistan and Baluchestan Province (southeastern Iran) concurrently, IRNA reported.

He added the crop’s harvest will soon begin in the provinces of Fars (southern Iran), Khuzestan (southwestern Iran) and Kerman (southern Iran), saying by April 19, wheat harvest will start in all areas of the country with an arid climate.

Putting at four and a half months the entire duration of wheat harvest in Iran, Esfandiarpour noted that harvest of the crop will start in Iranian regions with temperate and cold climates as of June 4 and August 5 respectively.

Expressing satisfaction with the favorable precipitation in the country (225 millimeters) since the beginning of the current agricultural year (that started on September 23, 2019), he hoped that this year would be an on-year.

Esfandiarpour said over six million hectares in the country are under wheat cultivation, of which over four million are dryland farms.

The official added 18,000 combine harvesters are ready to begin wheat harvest in the country.

Esfandiarpour stressed that wheat harvest cannot be stopped due to the coronavirus spread in the country as the crop is the chief ingredient of people’s main food.

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IME strengthening link between agricultural, financial markets

reporter 1222 — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 09:06:15 +0000

While this approach has been seriously followed up by the four exchange markets of Iran, i.e. Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE), Iran’s over-the-counter (OTC) market known also as Iran Fara Bourse (IFB), Iran Energy Exchange (IEE), and Iran Mercantile Exchange (IME), IME’s performance in this due is in fact prominent.

Of the significant measures taken by IME to this end it could be referred to offering agriculture products at guaranteed price instead of the guaranteed purchase of these products by the government, which brought satisfaction for both farmers and the government.

In the framework of the guaranteed-purchase scheme, instead of paying the whole price to the farmers based on the guaranteed purchase, the government pays them just the difference between the base price and the price offered at the IME. In this way the financial burden on the government is reduced noticeably.

Guaranteed-price plan also brings more satisfaction for the farmers as they receive the payment sooner. And the other advantages of this plan are creating transparency in the trades and also offering the products based on the specified standards in the IME which leads to promotion of their quality.

Also, in this plan prices are set fairly because the dealers are omitted from the chain of sales.

And now, IME has a new plan for more link between commodity and finical markets and it is establishment of some agriculture products funds, as announced by IME Managing Director Hamed Soltani-Nejad in an interview conducted by IRNA on Sunday.

Referring to the creation of a proper ground for the expansion of link between agricultural and financial markets, the official said that the plan for boosting trades of agriculture products at IME has been following up through new measures such as launching derivatives market and now is the time for agriculture products funds.

Establishment of such funds will be in the framework of IME’s macro plans in the current Iranian calendar year (began on March 21), as Soltani-Nejad has said on June 24 that this exchange has prepared ten macro plans to improve its performance during this year.

Making the remarks, during the meeting of IME shareholders, he mentioned development of underlying assets through existing instruments, development of financial instruments for commodity-backed securities, expansion of market size and depth, increasing cooperation with other organizations, and strengthening IME brand as some of the mentioned macro plans.

While IME has some prominent plans for this year, its performance has been also very positive in the past year.

Applying new financial instruments in Iranian capital market was one of the achievements of the country’s exchange markets during the past year.

In this due, IME launched “option” in early March 2019 in an approach to diversify financing methods for agricultural products.

Option is a contract which gives the buyer (the owner or holder of the option) the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset or instrument at a specified strike price prior to or on a specified date, depending on the form of the option.

All these measures have led to diversity of agricultural products trades at the IME and also formation of a new chain of financial instruments at this market which will be more expanded by establishment of agricultural products funds.

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‘Annual olive production expected to rise to 120,000 tons by March 2020’

reporter 1222 — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 08:30:39 +0000

Rahmatollah Parichehr said that Iran was seeking to further optimize methods used in olive production by offering technical assistance to farmers across the country, Press TV reported.

The official said the effort is part of a scheme titled the National Plan for Development of Olive Cultivation and Processing which seeks to increase olive oil production in Iran to a level where the country would have no further needs for import.

Parichehr said that the scheme has managed to increase the lands used for planting olive trees across Iran to 92,000 hectares in 26 out of 31 provinces.

He said a total of 42 olive oil plants are currently active in Iran with a production capacity of more than 91,000 tons, adding, however, that the country is currently importing around a third of its olive oil.

Parichehr said the successful implementation of the government scheme on olive has encouraged more farmers to plant olive trees in their lands during the past years.

The official said the agriculture ministry has identified some 600,000 hectares of farming lands across Iran which have the potential to be turned into olive farms in future, adding that some 15,000 hectares of such lands would be cultivated by 2021.

In mid-June, Iranian Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati said the country is expected to experience a significant increase in agricultural production due to sufficient rainfalls this year (March 2019-March 2020).

Mentioning the heavy rainfalls across the country, the official noted that this year “we are having a great water year.”

“Although in some regions like Khuzestan Province [in southwestern Iran] flood caused some concerns but the situation is now completely ideal for summer cultivation” Hojjati noted.

He further stated that, for the fourth year in a row, Iran’s wheat harvest is enough to make it self-sufficient in the strategic crop.

According to the official, sufficient rainfalls across the country is going to offset the losses of crops due to unprecedented flooding in some provinces in March.

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Iran to remain self-sufficient in wheat production this year

reporter 1222 — Sun, 12 May 2019 12:30:48 +0000

Making the remarks during his one-day trip to West Azarbaijan Province, he said that wheat harvesting in southern provinces under projects of International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and Participatory Varietal Selection (PVS) have started as of two months ago.

The official informed that thanks to the recent flash-floods in southern provinces, in particular Khouzestan, wheat production has increased by 30 percent in comparison with the preceding year.

He described that the recent precipitations have increased wheat production in the current year and up to the present time, the government has purchased 1.2 million tons of wheat from the farmers.

As previously reported, Iran’s self-sufficiency rate in wheat production has increased from 65 percent in the Iranian calendar year of 1392 (March 2013-March 2014) to 105 percent in the current year (which ends on March 20, 2019).

The International Center for Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas, a member of the CGIAR, supported by the CGIAR Fund, is a non-profit agricultural research institute that aims to improve the livelihoods of the resource-poor across the world’s dry areas.

One potential means of encouraging farmer confidence in new varieties is Participatory Varietal Selection (PVS), providing farmers a choice of crop varieties which are matched to their specific needs. PVS schemes throughout the world, across multiple farming systems, are generating impressive results and the approach is now being applied in Morocco through the EU-IFAD initiative, managed by ICARDA (within the frame of the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes) and targeting strengthened wheat-legume production systems across North Africa and West Asia.

ICARDA has conducted successful researches on how to beat the wheat bug in Iran and the country plans to resolve problems in agricultural section by developing practical researches in cooperation with the international body.

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Olive oil production surges by 30%

reporter 1222 — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 12:01:09 +0000

Executive of Olive Project at the Ministry of Agriculture Seyed Rahmatollah Parichehr said that olive oil production volume has increased more than 30 percent in current year (started March 21, 2017).

Statistics showed that 7,100 tons of olive oil was produced in the country, the rate of which stood at about 5,300 tons in the past year (ended March 20, 2018).

Production of olive oil is among the important policies and programs by the Ministry of Agriculture in line with providing high-quality oil in the country, he said, adding, “in the wake of considerable growth in production of olive oil, import of this product has decreased 2,000 tons at large.”

He went on to say that 45 percent of olive seed produced in the country is turned into vegetable oil while the rest into conserve oil.

He put the per capita consumption of olive oil in Iran at about 180 gr while the rate of which stands at 11 kg in European countries.

Production growth of high-quality oil is the most important objective behind implementation of development project in olive orchards, Parichehr said.

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Rouhani calls for moving toward self-sufficiency in agriculture

reporter 1222 — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 10:07:10 +0000

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for achieving self-sufficiency in agricultural and livestock products.

He made the remarks Monday in Tehran at a meeting with Iranian Minister of agriculture Mahmoud Hojjati and senior managers of the ministry, the official website of Iranian President reported.

“Many people, and even the educated, think that our country has problems in providing high-tech facilities, while we are confronted with problems in providing forage, corn and livestock inputs, and we are importing a great deal of these products every year,” he regretted.

“In the food sector, we must stand on our own feet and produce our own needs inside the country.”

Appreciating all people who work for the country’s self-sufficiency in wheat production, he noted, “we were the second largest wheat importer in the world, but in recent years, we answered this need domestically.”

He also stated, “our production of sugar has almost doubled and we are on the verge of self-sufficiency.”

The Iranian president said that production of some oilseeds, such as rapeseed, has experienced a sixfold increase, adding, “the media should inform people about national honors.”

President Rouhani also said, “an average increase of 4 million tonnes of agricultural products per year is a big step.”

“300,000 hectares in Khuzestan and Ilam and 46,000hectares in Sistan and Baluchistan province are ready for modern irrigation systems,” he continued.

“Universities and Agriculture Ministry should work together with the priority of providing people’s needs,” he said, adding, “despite the annual increase in population and nutritional needs, we face water and land constraints.”

Stating that, “an important part of agricultural and horticultural products can rely on rainfed farming,” he said, “people should not worry about supplying dairy, meat and protein products.”

Stressing that the main burden of the country’s security is on the shoulders of farmers, he continued, “when the word ‘security’ is stated, people usually think of military forces, while a major part of security is provided by the dear farmers.”

Rouhani went on to underscore that the government is responsible towards a farmer that works for people’s food security, adding, “without a doubt, if the farmer is not sure about its crop production and sale, he can’t provide the society with security.”

An important part of the country’s food is being smuggled to neighboring countries, he regretted, noting that farmers’ work must be guaranteed through insurance.

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Mazandaran exports observe 12% growth in 9 months

reporter 1222 — Tue, 25 Dec 2018 09:45:14 +0000

Some 538,600 tons of non-oil commodities worth $339 million were exported from the northern province of Mazandaran during the nine months of the current Iranian year (March 21- Dec. 21), a senior official at the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration said.

According to Hassan Kheyrian, a coordinator at Mazandaran’s Customs Department, the figure indicates a 5% and 12% increase respectively in terms of tonnage and value in comparison with the corresponding period of last year.

Last year’s exports of non-oil goods from the province stood at 513,000 tons worth $303 million.

Agricultural products constitute the lion’s share of the exports from the green province. Reportedly, some 500 tons of orange are shipped from Mazandaran to the foreign markets every day.

Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, Persian Gulf countries, CIS countries and Turkey were the main export destinations during the nine-month period.

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Tea exports hike by 51% year-on-year

reporter 1222 — Sun, 23 Dec 2018 13:45:16 +0000

Iran has exported some 12,571 tons of tea worth $18 million since the beginning of the current fiscal year (started on March 21), a senior official said.

Habibollah Jahansaz, the head of Iran Tea Organization, added that the figure respectively indicates 51% and 40% growth in terms of tonnage and value compared with the corresponding period last year.

Referring to “the favorable position of Iranian tea” in the global markets, the official said the agricultural product is currently shipped to 34 European and Asian countries.

Iran also imports tea, mainly from India, Sri Lanka and Kenya.

According to Jahansaz, Iranians consume around 105,000 tons of tea per year, of which only 25,000 tons are supplied by domestic producers.

The official said Iranian farmers harvested a total of 25,633 tons of tea during the three harvest seasons of the current year.

Tea is harvested three times a year; first starts in late April, the second harvest season comes in early June and the last one is in autumn and starts late September.

There are over 25,000 hectares of tea farms in the country, all of which are located in the northern provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran.

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Pistachio exports slide in two months

reporter 1222 — Sat, 22 Dec 2018 11:05:42 +0000

Iran exported 8,000 tons of pistachio during the past two Iranian months (Oct. 23- Dec. 21), indicating a drastic decline in comparison with the similar period of last year, a senior official said.

Mahmoud Abtahi, chairman of the board of directors at the Iranian Pistachio Association, said the figure shows an 83% drop comparing to the corresponding period of last year, during which Iran exported over 48,000 tons of the product.

The official noted that Iranian farmers harvested close to 60,000 tons of pistachio during the current fiscal (started in March), that also shows a huge drop year on year.

Saying that water shortage and climate change are affecting Iran’s pistachio orchards, the official added that the nature of pistachio trees’ bearing has also played a big role in low production rates.

Pistachio trees operate on what is called “biennial bearing,” which means that a year in which a tree produces a large amount of nuts will typically be followed by a lower-production year, and vice versa. It is only every other year that the trees are reaching their full potential.

There are some 400,000 hectares of pistachio farms across Iran. According to Deputy Minister of Industries, Mining and Trade Mojtaba Khosrotaj, Iran supplies more than 50% of the world pistachio market.

Ukraine, the UAE, Italy, Bahrain, Brazil, Bulgaria, Turkey, Canada, Qatar, Switzerland, France, Poland, Sweden, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Netherlands, Thailand, Japan, Romania and Hong Kong are among the main buyers of Iranian pistachio.

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