As much as 3.6 million metric tons (mt) of rice is annually consumed in Iran, according to a person with the knowledge of the matter.
Masih Keshavarz, the secretary of Iran’s Rice Exporters, Suppliers, and Importers Association, told IRNA on Monday that over 2 million mt of rice are produced by domestic farmers annually and between 1.2 and 1.5 million mt of the crop need to be imported into the country.
Noting that the imported rice plays a significant role in regulating the Iranian market, he said that six deciles of the Iranian population rely on the imported rice either for the lower price or for their tastes.
He stressed that the consumption of imported rice is high in some bordering cities because of the taste of their people.
Iran imposes bans on rice imports during harvest season each year (July 22 – November 22) to protect domestic farmers, he said.
Although the seasonal ban on rice imports has been lifted, no imports have been done yet, Keshavarz added, noting that the imports require allocating the necessary funds and updating the prices.