Domestic Maize Deficit at 7.8m Tons 

Iran’s maize demand stands at 9 million tons per year while local production amounts to 1.2 million tons, according to the manager of Export Department of Iranian Company for Maize Development. 
“Although the deficit is huge, we can make up for it by cultivating high-yield seeds that need less water and are resilient to water salinity, fertilizing farm soil, planting maize seedlings instead of seeds, managing and controlling pests, using modern irrigation methods, drainage systems and new technologies offered by startups and knowledge-based companies,” Mohammad Qasemnejad was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
The official noted that at present, each hectare yields an average of 7.5 tons of the crop, adding that plans are to increase the figure to 9.5 tons in the near future.