Iran’s rice imports increase by 99 percent

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.28 By Umid Niayesh - Trend: Iran has imported some 1.507 million tons of rice, valued at $1.764 billion, during the first nine months of the current solar year (starting on March 21), which indicates an increase of 67.52 and 99 percent in terms of volume and value respectively, compared to the same period of the last solar year. The Iranian Custom Administration's latest monthly report released on Dec. 28 said, India (with $1.278 billion worth of exports), the United Arab Emirates (with $ 155.46 million worth of exports), and Turkey (with $ 149.5 million worth of exports) were the main exporters of rice to Iran during the period. Iran imported some 1.763 million tons of rice, worth $2.019 billion during the first eleven months of the current year, which indicates an increase by 26.35 and 61.96 percent in terms of volume and value respectively, compared to the first eleven months of 2012, according to the report. The country's rice import during the first eight months of the current solar year stood at 1.385 million tons. Some 2.25 million tons of rice was produced in the county in the previous year. Earlier, the director of the Iranian rice producers association, Jamil Alizadeh Shayeq has criticised rice imports into the country saying, "If the current trend continues, the country's imports would be way more than domestic needs and that will cause great problems for the domestic rice farmers." In December 2012, Mehdi Kaboli, an official with the country's Agricultural Ministry, said that annual rice consumption in Iran stands around 2.8 million tons. Follow us on Twitter @TRENDNewsAgency