Iran's Rouhani forecasts bumper wheat output, says food supplies secure

• Rouhani said Iran's domestic grain production had been boosted by heavy rainfall that could cover its needs until the next Iranian year, which starts on March 21, 2021.
• Iran has the worst reported outbreak in the Middle East with a death toll of 4,777 and 76,389 infections in all.
• Esmail Esfandiaripour, an adviser to the agriculture minister, said on Sunday that the coronavirus pandemic "is not going to affect the wheat harvest in Iran".

DUBAI: Iran expects to produce 14 million tonnes of wheat by March 2021, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, adding that the coronavirus outbreak had not hit its farm sector and Iranians did not need to worry about food supplies.

"Our forecast is some 3.5pc-4pc increase in agricultural products and we predict production of 14 million tonnes of wheat during this (Iranian) year," Rouhani said during a televised cabinet meeting.

"This year our situation is better than previous years. Our people should not be worried about food supply...We have enough stocks," he said.

Rouhani said Iran's domestic grain production had been boosted by heavy rainfall that could cover its needs until the next Iranian year, which starts on March 21, 2021.

"We also forecast production of 2.6 million tonnes of rice and 1.7 million tonnes of sugar this year," he said.

Shut out of international capital markets and facing a further hit to its finances with the collapse in oil prices on top of US sanctions, Iran is struggling to shield its economy from the coronavirus pandemic.

Iran has the worst reported outbreak in the Middle East with a death toll of 4,777 and 76,389 infections in all.

US sanctions, reimposed since 2018 when Washington exited the country's 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers, have targeted Iranian oil sales and financial activities.

Food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies including animal feeds are exempt. But Iranian authorities say the sanctions have deterred some foreign banks from doing any Iranian business, including deals such as food shipments.

Iranian agriculture ministry data published by the country's media showed Iran had produced nearly 14.5 million tonnes of wheat in the previous Iranian calendar year, 1.2 million tonnes more than the year before.

Esmail Esfandiaripour, an adviser to the agriculture minister, said on Sunday that the coronavirus pandemic "is not going to affect the wheat harvest in Iran".

"Iran's wheat harvest is enough to make the country self-sufficient in the production of this strategic crop for the fifth year in a row," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Tehran Times newspaper.