Deputy minister: Self-sufficiency in wheat, sugar production saves Iran $3b
Achieving self-sufficiency in wheat and sugar production has helped Iran save $3 billion in foreign currency, said Iranian Deputy Agricultural Jihad Minister Abdolmehdi Bakhshandeh.
The deputy minister for planning and economic affairs said that the appropriate distribution of, supplying production inputs, and providing the people with staples are among the priorities of the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad, given, among other things, the imposition of cruel unilateral US sanctions on Iran, IRNA reported.
Last May, US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed between Iran and the P5+1 group in July 2015, and reimposed the White House’s unilateral sanctions on Tehran in two phases.
The heads of the domineering powers had announced that within three months, their measures would cause famine, creating serious problems for the country, as a consequence of a shortage of products and staples in the Iranian market. “At present, however, Iran’s stores and strategic reserves are full while 10 staple items are available in abundance.”
With Iran already self-sufficient in wheat and sugar production, it is no longer in need of importing such products, he said, adding that if the Agricultural Jihad Ministry had not followed this up, under the present circumstances the country would have had to spend three billion dollars on purchasing these items.
Turning to the country’s red meat market, the deputy minister said that Brazilian meat had such high quality that it is sold as a quality product in Europe and Russia.
During the past 11 months, Iran has purchased frozen meat from Brazil to meet the demand of the country’s households, Bakhshandeh added.