Iran will not need to import sugar in the current year to March 2005 thanks to increased domestic production and high stocks, agriculture officials said on Monday.
"Iran has been removed from the list of the world's top 10 sugar importers," Majid Ghassemi Feyzabadi, an advisor to Iran's agriculture minister, told Reuters.
"For the moment we do not have any plans to import sugar," said Hadi Beyk, director of sugar at Iran's Government Trading Company, which handles state imports.
Iran's farm ministry estimates sugar production in the year to March 2005 will rise to 1.45 million tonnes, from 1.36 million in the year to March 2004.
Iran's sugar consumption is estimated at 1.8 to 1.9 million tonnes per year.

Copyright Reuters, 2004

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