Iran’s wheat output is forecast to reach close to 15.36 million tons by the year 2028 from 13.57 million tons in 2019, registering an annual growth of 2.7% year-on-year.
The forecast was made in a joint report released by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Based on the report, Iran’s grain production will experience an annual growth of 2.4% from 2019 to 2028, which increase is mostly indebted to the rise in wheat production.
The staple grain is projected to account for 70% of Iran’s total grain production by the end of 2028.
Wheat consumption is forecast to increase by 8% over the next decade to reach 15.95 million tons in 2028 from 14.77 million tons in 2019.
The grain’s import is expected to reach 656,160 tons in 2028 from 1.07 million tons in 2019, registering a 39.1% decrease.
Iran exported 58,030 tons of wheat last year. The figure is expected to see a 48% decline to stand at 30,210 in 2028.
Each Iranian is projected to consume 166.61 kilograms of the grain in 2028, slightly higher than the 2019 per capita wheat consumption of 166.31 kilograms.
Land under wheat cultivation stood at 6.11 million hectares in 2019, which is expected to increase to 6.16 hectares within the next decade.
Meanwhile, rice production is projected to experience a 14.4% increase to reach 2.28 million tons in 2028 from 1.99 million tons last year.
Iran imported 1.39 million tons of rice in 2018, up 6.7% from 1.3 million tons in 2019. About 990 tons of rice are expected to be exported from Iran in the fiscal 2028, down 10 tons compared with last year.
The country’s per capita rice consumption is forecast to rise by 1.31 kilograms during the decade under review to stand at 36.65 kg.
Maize production is forecast to reach 1.08 million tons, up 17.6% from 918,620 tons in 2019.
The grain’s import is expected to exceed 10.34 million tons from around 8.22 million tons in 2019. Iran is not an exporter of maize.
Iranians are projected to consume 0.83 kilograms of maize in 2018, down from 0.9 kg in 2019.
The joint report of FAO and OECD also shows that production of other coarse grains is forecast to reach 3.56 million tons and register a 14.12% rise compared with 2019.
The import of coarse grains is expected to reach 4.04 million tons in 2028, 41.42% more compared with 2018. Iran has no export of any kind of coarse grains.
Per capita consumption of such grains will experience a meager decline to stand at 0.3 kg.
