More than $1 billion worth of rice were imported to Iran during the current Iranian year’s first five months (March 21-Aug. 22), data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration show.
India was the biggest exporter with $583 million worth of exports followed by Pakistan with $350 million, Thailand with $79 million and the UAE with $60 million, IRIB News reported.
According to IRICA, $21.63 million worth of rice were imported to Iran’s free trade zones during the period.
Rice consumption in Iran is currently 3 million tons per year, 70% of which are supplied through domestic production, according to a deputy agriculture minister.
A total of 2.25 million tons of rice were produced in Iran during the last Iranian year (March 2021-22), according to the deputy head of Iran Rice Union.
“According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, more than 1.2 million tons of rice were imported last year,” Ahmad Eshraqi was also quoted as saying by the Young Journalists Club.
The three northern provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan are Iran’s rice production hubs.
According to Director General of Grains and Essential Goods Affairs Bureau with the Agriculture Ministry Faramak Aziz-Karimi, 654,000 hectares of paddy fields are scattered across the country, 440,000 hectares of which are in the three northern provinces.
According to Eshraqi, a total of 2.25 million tons of rice were produced in Iran during the last Iranian year (March 2021-22).
“According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, more than 1.2 million tons of rice were imported last year,” he added.
FAO’s Prediction
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations expects Iran’s rice production to reach 3 million tons in 2022, down from 3.1 million tons last year. The country’s five-year average output has been put at 3.5 million tons.
In its biannual report on global food markets, FAO said Iran imported an average of 1.3 million tons of rice during 2018-20.
The 2018-20 average production has been put at 2.5 million tons.
Consumption is forecast to slightly increase from 3.6 million tons in 2021 to 3.7 million tons in 2022.
Average utilization during crop years 2018-19 to 2020-21 stood at 3.6 million tons.
The average closing stocks for 2022-23, 2021-22, and 2018-19 to 2020-21 have been put at 0.6, 0.5 and 0.7 million tons respectively.
The 2018-19 to 2020-21 average per capita has been put at 38.2 kilograms.
Limited availabilities of water for irrigation cloud rice production outlook for Iran.
“International trade in rice is predicted to register its third successive annual increase in 2022 [January–December], with volumes exchanged across the world forecast to reach 53.1 million tons, up 3% from the 2021 all-time high. With the exception of Asian Far East, most regions are anticipated to step up imports over the course of the year, often aided by state efforts to contain inflationary pressure. Such steps have taken the form of import duty remissions in various African and Latin American countries, or of an acceleration of government-contracted imports, as has been most notably the case of Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” FAO’s report said.
