Raw Vegetable Oil Mostly Imported

Ninety-three percent of all the raw vegetable oil in the domestic market is imported, according to secretary of Iranian Vegetable Oil Industry Association, Dariush Mahmoudi. “This is despite import tariffs of up to a 40% … which, if it persists, will lead to increased prices next year,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA. In Iran, the domestic need for raw vegetable oil stands at 1.5 million tons per annum, according to Mahmoudi. He added that 95% of all the vegetable oils consumed in Iran are extracted from soybean, sunflowers and palm. The ministry plans to achieve 70% self-sufficiency in the production of oilseeds within the next 10 years to keep imports of oilseeds and vegetable oil in check. Per capita vegetable oil consumption in Iran is about 18-19 kilograms a year. The global average is 12 kilograms.