Iran Exports $5.1bln Worth of Agricultural Products in One Year

Iran’s Agricultural Jihad Minister Sadeq Khalilian announced that the country exported $5.1bln worth of agricultural products in the last Iranian year (March 21, 2010 to March 20, 2011) which shows a 33% growth compared with the previous year.
The Iranian agricultural jihad minister noted that the country’s imports also declined by 30 percent during the last Iranian calendar year, which he called a leap forward for the agricultural sector.

Khalilian praised the county’s progress in the agriculture sector, stating that Iran’s agricultural production has increased four-fold since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 to reach 107 million tons per year.

He went on to say that the country reached self-sufficiency in wheat production this year, adding that Iran’s wheat production has increased by 70 percent compared to the volume in the previous year, despite the drought in seven provinces.

In November, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced plans to boost the country’s annual production of agricultural goods to over 200 million tons in four years.

He said some imported agricultural products have become key components of the country’s national security, but expressed concerns that such products are being used as a pressure tool by hegemonic powers in order to impose their demands on other nations.