In order for Iran to be able to meet the needs for rice, the country has fully removed the obstacles on the imports of the crop, according to an official with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Shahyad Abnar, the director of Commerce Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture, said that there are no restrictions at present for placing new orders for imports of rice.
Orders for imports of as much as 100,000 tons of rice have been placed over the past 24 hours, the official said.
He said that the Government Trading Cooperation of Iran has been told to carry out unlimited supply of rice across the country.
Akhavan Akbari, the head of the Iranian Rice Importers Association, said few days ago that Iran had fully banned imports of rice into the country.
The decision was made in a bid to create a balance in trade with exporting countries, Akhavan said according to Tasnim news agency.
He noted that Iran banned the imports of rice while a recent report by the country’s statistical center said that the annual point-to-point inflation of the Iranian domestic rice stood at 123.1% in the calendar month of Azar (November 22 – December 21), putting the figure for the imported rice at 45.9%.
Iran has imported nearly 1.274 million tons of rice since the beginning of this calendar year (March 21, 2022), He said, cited figures by Iran Customs Administration. Noting that the country needs an annual 1.5 million tons of rice imports, Akhavan said that some 250,000 tons of rice has yet to be imported into Iran by the end of the year.
A half of the Iranian population rely on imported foreign rice which is cheaper than the crop cultivated in the country, he said, adding that any ban or limit on the imports of the crop will tighten living standards of the Iranian population.
Noting that rice is the second main crop used by the Iranians after wheat, he advised the officials to consult with the Iranian Rice Importers Association before making any such decisions behind closed doors.