NCRI – Iran under mullahs rule has become the world’s largest importer of wheat, the country’s staple, in a blow to the regime’s goal of achieving self-sufficiency in the crops that is key to food security, Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
The US department of agriculture forecasts that Iran will buy 8.5m tonnes of wheat in the 2008-09 crop year, which ends in June, taking it ahead of Egypt as the world’s top importer. This would account for about 6.5 per cent of the global trade of the grain.
NCRI – Iran under mullahs rule has become the world’s largest importer of wheat, the country’s staple, in a blow to the regime’s goal of achieving self-sufficiency in the crops that is key to food security, Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
The US department of agriculture forecasts that Iran will buy 8.5m tonnes of wheat in the 2008-09 crop year, which ends in June, taking it ahead of Egypt as the world’s top importer. This would account for about 6.5 per cent of the global trade of the grain.
“With production in 2008 reduced by drought, Iran has set aside its goal of wheat self-sufficiency and emerged as the world’s largest wheat importer, after importing only 0.2m tonnes in 2007-8,” the USDA said in a recent report.
Wheat is a strategic commodity for 70m population of Iran, for whom bread and rice are the main food sources. Iranian regime claimed it had achieved self-sufficiency in grain in 2004.
The regime argues that drought is the only reason for importing grain. But due to mismanagement imports of agricultural products has reached to $12bn.
