Meher News Agency

Iran produced 1.96 million tons of rice in the said time, of which 1,960 tons were exported, the same report confirmed.

Some 1.65 million tons of rice were imported in the same period, the report added.

Provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan were the major producers of rice last year, while Khuzestan, Golestan and Fars provinces were respectively the other Iranian major rice producers, it said.

Deputy Ministry of Agricultural Jihad for Planning and Economic Affairs Abdol-Mahdi Bakhshandeh said on October 8 that Iran attained self-sufficiency in the production of rice.

He revealed the considerable 42 percent growth of rice production in the country in the current year (started March 21, 2019). This year, rice production volume will hit 2.9 to 3 million tons due to the climatic conditions, so that this volume of rice will meet the domestic demand, he added.

He pointed out that 960,000 tons of white rice, valued at $1.1 billion, was imported into the country in the first half of the current year (from March 21 to Sept. 22).

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture said that the self-sufficiency of rice production will save more than $1.1 billion worth of foreign currency in the country.