TEHRAN: Iran imported 1.529 million tons of wheat valued at $440 million in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-Septemebr 22), according to the Iran Customs Administration. Of the imported wheat, 290,000 tons worth $86 million was imported from India, Turkey and China.
Iran’s state grain buying agency, the Government Trading Corporation (GTC), said on Tuesday lifting sanctions would help bring the cost of imported wheat down by as much as 30 percent.
Iranian Deputy Agriculture Minister Ali Qanbari said the fall in cost would largely be due to the lifting of sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL Group). Qanbari had earlier told that Iran had bought more than 8 million tons of wheat from its farmers this year, a 1.3 million ton increase over the previous year.
But despite the high local procurement figure, he said his agency would take any necessary steps to keep strategic reserves at a secure level including imports. Iran said in August it would not need to import any wheat this year due to local buying.
