Iran: The Iran Agriculture Ministry has collaborated with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to create a joint project that concentrates on promoting sustainable agricultural production. Faramak Aziz-Karimi, the Director General of the Ministry for Essential Products and Grains, announced the collaboration during the first National Conference on the Joint Project, which took place in the city of Maragheh. The conference aimed to enhance productivity and unlock the potential of rainfed agricultural production.

An official in Iran has noted that the Iran-FAO project has been in effect since the start of the current crop year. The main objective of this project is to enhance the sustainability of rainfed production in several provinces, including East Azarbaijan, Ardabil, Hamedan and Kurdistan.

Despite a 20% reduction in rainfall across Iran this year, the official, Aziz-Karimi, has highlighted the application of the latest know-how from domestic and foreign researchers to increase production levels. This development is expected to be a significant boost to the agricultural sector in the country.

According to recent data released by the Agriculture Ministry, Iran has over 5 million hectares of rainfed cultivation that produces more than 6 million tons of crops annually. However, despite such robust agricultural output, there has been a growing deficit in agricultural and food trade in Iran. The deficit stood at 17 million tons worth $13 billion during the last Iranian year (ended March 20).

According to recent data, exports for the year stood at 7.77 million tons worth $5.21 billion, indicating an 8.93% decrease in tonnage and a 2.29% decrease in value compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, imports stood at 25.21 million tons worth $18.39 billion, showing a 17.47% reduction in weight but a 7.45% increase in value.

Among the imports, Corn had the highest share in terms of value, worth $3.26 billion, followed by various kinds of vegetable oil worth $2.53 billion, rice valued at $2.33 billion, wheat at $2.01 billion, and GM Soybeans at $1.97 billion.

According to recent reports, Iran's agricultural sector is facing a decline in exports and a rise in imports, primarily due to the impact of drought on the industry. The leading imports by tonnage were Corn at 8.08 million tons, trailed by Wheat at 4.45 million tons, GM Soybeans at 2.54 million tons, Barley at 2.37 million tons, and Rice at 1.77 million tons. The Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture had previously cautioned agricultural officials regarding the consequences of drought, emphasizing that it would hinder the country's agricultural pursuits and impede economic progress within the industry.