Iran to need to import 4.5 mln tons of wheat by end of year

March are expected to be around 4.5 million metric tons, Press TV reported. He said Iran’s domestic wheat production fell by 5 million tons, or 31 percent, to nearly 11 million tons annually between April and August. He added that government purchases of locally produced wheat fell by 4.4 million tons, or 36 percent, to 7.6 million tons during the same period. Hashemi said the value of wheat purchased from Iranian farmers this year was around 1,600 trillion rials ($1.74 billion). The decline in the domestic wheat harvest was largely due to drought that has affected arid areas across Iran, he said, and because government purchase prices were lower than free market prices. In April, Iran’s agriculture ministry said the country could be forced to import up to 6 million tons of wheat this calendar year to meet growing domestic ...