According to the Ministry of Agriculture, rice imports will come to a complete halt as of July 21. The Iranian government imposes a ban on rice imports every year during the harvest season to support local farmers, IRNA reported. More than 190,000 tons of rice have been imported so far in the current Iranian year (started March 20). Last year, the figure stood at 745,000 tons and the year before at 1.2 million tons. Earlier in May, Deputy Agriculture Minister Ali Qanbari said domestic demand for rice is about 3 million tons per year, while production is around 2 million, which calls for the import of 1 million tons.
