TEHRAN: Iran will be self sufficient in the production of wheat in the course of the current year and is looking forward to becoming an exporter of the commodity, the daily Jam-e Jam quoted a senior government official as saying on Saturday.
Iran's calendar year will end on March 19, 2012.
"Not only will the country's needs in wheat be met domestically in the current year, but also the capability for the export of two million tons of wheat has emerged," said Agriculture Minister Sadeq Khalilian.
Previous forecasts by agricultural experts on the production of wheat in Iran this year had anticipated a 30 percent drop in harvest due to drought and the need for imports to make up for the shortage.
Khalilian said the government had made preparations for a possible shortage of wheat this year, but its production precluded any need to resort to an emergency stockpile.
The preparation to inject wheat into the market to correct a shortage came in view of a drop in rainfall last autumn, he said.
"The remedy came in the form of recourse to irrigated farming leading to two million tons of excess production."
Khalilian did not give an estimate for the harvest this year but a previous forecast put it at more than 15 million tons.
As a major food importer, Iran often resorts to imports to compensate for sporadic shortfalls.
In 2004, Iran celebrated self-sufficiency in wheat production but cold winter weather in 2007-08 followed by drought hit output and forced Iran to resume importing the grain.
Copyright Reuters, 2011
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