Sugarbeet Production Up 25%

A total of 6.58 million tons of sugarbeet were harvested across the country from the beginning of the current Iranian year on March 21 until the end of the crop year on Dec. 21 to register a 25% rise compared with the similar period of last year, according to the Government Trading Corporation’s Public Relations Department.
Around 5.2 million tons and 1.4 million tons of the yield were for the spring and autumn cultivation seasons respectively, Mizan Online reported.
Out of the total production, 794,000 tons of refined sugar have been extracted.
Fars and Khorasan Razavi topped the list of provinces with the highest production growths.
A total of 3.2 million tons of beetroot were harvested and sent to factories where close to 314,000 tons of refined sugar were produced. 
Director general of GTC’s Distribution and Sales Coordination Department says 749,000 tons of unrefined sugar have been imported into the country since the beginning of the current Iranian year on March 21, 2021.
“Around 446,000 tons of refined sugar have been distributed to chain stores, supermarkets, consumer cooperatives and the like to meet domestic demand,” Hojjat Barat-Ali said.  
According to Peyman Hesadi, the manager of “Beetroot Project” conducted by Agriculture Ministry, per capita sugar consumption in Iran stands at 27 kilograms per year, which is 2 kg more than the global average.
“Domestic demand for sugar is between 2.2 million tons and 2.3 million tons per annum,” he said, adding that the government aims to achieve 95% self-sufficiency by the end of the 20-Year Vision Plan (2005-25).