Mazandaran will meet half of the domestic demand for rice based on a plan to increase production by 500,000 tons over the next three years, says the governor general of the northern province, Rabi Fallah. Currently, Mazandaran accounts for 42% of domestic production and grows 900,000 tons of rice per annum. According to deputy agriculture minister, Ali Qanbari, Iran’s need for rice imports currently stands at 1 million tons. Fallah said the plan to increase production will also be implemented in Mazandaran’s neighboring Gilan Province. As a broader project, Iran is planning to reach self-sufficiency in the production of eight essential agricultural products, namely rice, barley, corn, pulses, wheat, sugarbeet, cotton and oilseeds, by 2025.
