Some 30,000 tons of colza oilseeds have been purchased from farmers across the country since the beginning of the current Iranian year (started March 20) as part of the government’s guaranteed purchase plan, the director of Government Trading Corporation of Iran said. Based on the guaranteed purchase plan, every year the government buys crops from farmers even before the start of harvest season at set prices. “It is estimated that some 100,000 tons of the crop will be purchased by the government this year,” Ali Qanbari was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency. The Ministry of Agricultural Jihad intends to limit the import of oilseeds and vegetable oil. According to Alireza Mohajer, an official with the ministry, per capita vegetable oil consumption in Iran is about 18 to 19 kilograms a year, which is more than the global average of 12 kilograms. Golestan in the north, Ardabil in the northwest and Khuzestan in southern Iran are the country’s top provinces producing colza oilseeds. Iran imports vegetable oils mainly from Brazil and Argentina.
