The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced that Iran’s total grain production within the current crop year (ended October 23), have recorded a 900,000-ton decrease in harvest compared with same period last year, ISNA reported.
According to the FAO report - ‘Crop Prospect and Food Situation in 2014’, Iran’s total cereal production is expected to hit about 20 million tons, which is slightly lower than total harvest in 2013.
The report further mentioned that the 2014 wheat harvest was completed in July, although final production estimates are not yet available. However, preliminary forecast puts the 2014 wheat production at 13 million tons, 7 percent lower than the 2013 wheat harvest. The fall in wheat production is mainly due to drought conditions that has affected yields in the past two years.
Wheat and barley are the main crops cultivated in Iran. Wheat is the dominant cereal crop accounting for almost 70 percent of the aggregate cereal production. Irrigated wheat covers only 33% of the total wheat farming area, thus the bulk of the wheat crop depends on the performance of seasonal precipitation.
Rice production in the same period showed a 100,000-ton hike, exceeding 3 million tons compared with 2.9 million tons produced in 2013.
Regarding FAO’s forecasts of Iran’s grain reserves it is more likely to increase around one million tons, approaching 6.7 million tons by the end of 2014, while forecasts put Iran’s 2015 grain reserves at 7.8 million tons.
