Iran's Rice Output Estimated at 2.2m Tons

More than 2.2 million tons of rice are estimated to be produced in the current Iranian year (started March 20), which would indicate a 20% increase compared with last year’s output, says secretary of Iran Rice Association, Jamil Alizadeh Shayeq. According to Mehr News Agency, Shayeq added that since annual domestic demand stands at 3 million tons, some 800,000 tons of the crop need to be imported this year. The two northern provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran are home to the majority of Iran’s paddyfields.