Rice is mostly produced in northern Iran. The average per capita consumption of rice in Iran is 45.5 kg, which makes Iranians the 13th biggest rice consumers. Iran has 3,800 rice milling units (2009). Iran has imported about 630,000 tons of rice from UAE, Pakistan and Uruguay worth $271 million in 2008 and 1.4 million tons of rice, worth $800 million in 2009. Rice: Iran's total rice production stands at 2.2 million tons per annum whereas annual consumption is about three million tons (2008). In 2021 grain imports were 6500 tonnes, making Iran the eighth largest importer in the world. In 2008, following a Drought, Iran imported approximately 7 milion tonnes of wheat. Wheat: In 2007 Iran exported close to 600,000 tones of wheat (out of a production of 15 million tonnes). Producers receive subsidised access to input costs such as fertiliser and pesticides, as well as a guaranteed support price for their crops. The Iranian grain sector is highly regulated.

Wheat, rice, and barley are the country's major crops. The land covered by Iran's natural flora is four times that of Europe. More than 2,000 plant species are grown in Iran only 100 of which are being used in pharmaceutical industries. saffron (world's largest producer with 81% of the world's total output), raisin (world's third largest producer & second largest exporter ), tea, tobacco, berberis (world's largest producer ) and medicinal herbs. The wide range of temperature fluctuation in different parts of the country and the multiplicity of climatic zones make it possible to cultivate a diverse variety of crops, including cereals ( wheat, barley, rice, and maize (corn)), fruits ( dates, figs, pomegranates, melons, and grapes), vegetables, cotton, sugar beets, sugarcane and pistachios (World's largest producer with 40% of the world's output in 2005 ), nuts, olives, spices e.g. As of 2013, The amount of cultivated land that is irrigated increased to 8 million hectares, while 10 million hectares remain rain-fed. In 2005, some 13.05 million hectares of land was under cultivation, of which 50.45% was allocated to irrigated farming and the remaining 49.55% to rain-fed system. īoth irrigated and rain-fed farming are used in Iran. Still, 63% of the cultivable lands have not been used, and 185,000 km² of the present farms are being used with 50 to 60% capacity. About 12 percent of the country's total land area of 1,636,000 km² is cultivated. Overall, Iran's soil is not well suited for large scale agriculture. World average annual rainfall is 800 mm but in Iran the annual rainfall is only 220 mm. Progressive government efforts and incentives during the 1990s, however, improved agricultural productivity marginally, helping Iran toward its goal of reestablishing national self-sufficiency in food production. The legal disputes that arose from this situation remained unresolved through the 1980s, and many owners put off making large capital investments that would have improved farm productivity, further deteriorating production. Further, after the 1979 revolution many agricultural workers claimed ownership rights and forcibly occupied large, privately owned farms where they had been employed. In addition to water scarcity and areas of poor soil, seed is of low quality and farming techniques are antiquated.Īll these factors have contributed to low crop yields and poverty in rural areas. Most farms are small, less than 25 acres (10 hectares), and are not economically viable, which has contributed to the wide-scale migration to cities. And 7% is covered by cities, towns, villages, industrial areas and roads.Īt the end of the 20th century, agricultural activities accounted for about one-fifth of Iran's gross domestic product ( GDP) and employed a comparable proportion of the workforce.An additional 7% of Iran's total surface is covered by woodlands.39% of the country is covered by deserts, salt flats ('kavirs') and bare-rock mountains, not suited for agricultural purposes. The non-agricultural surface represents 53% of the total area of Iran, as follows:

Most of the grazing is done on mostly semi-dry rangeland in mountain areas and on areas surrounding the large deserts ('Dasht's') of Central Iran. ģ% of the total land area is used for grazing and small fodder production. Iran's food security index stands at around 96 percent. The western and northwestern portions of the country have the most fertile soils. Some 92 percent of agricultural products depend on water. Only 12% of the total land area is under cultivation (arable land, orchards and vineyards) but less than one-third of the cultivated area is irrigated the rest is devoted to dryland farming. Roughly one-third of Iran's total surface area is suited for farmland, but because of poor soil and lack of adequate water distribution in many areas, most of it is not under cultivation.

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