Iran expects a slight increase in domestic wheat purchases

Iran expects a slight increase in domestic wheat purchases during the harvest season, which begins in April. The government is seeking to ensure availability of the staple grain amid rising food prices in the country.

Majid Anajafi, head of the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture’s grain department, stated that domestic wheat supplies are expected to reach eight million metric tons during the April-August harvest.

This figure is 5.2% higher than the same period last year, when the government spent 1.6 billion rials ($1.45 billion at the exchange rate fixed during and after the harvest) on domestic wheat purchases.

This is despite the fact that Iran purchased approximately 11 million tons of wheat from domestic farmers in 2024, worth $3 billion.

Anajafi stated that the expected increase in wheat purchases will occur despite the fact that the area of ​​irrigated wheat fields in Iran has decreased by 5%, while the area of ​​non-irrigated fields has decreased by 2%.

“We will make every effort to support farmers and rationally allocate resources, and we will achieve our wheat production targets in the current agricultural year,” he said at a press conference.

According to Iranian customs data, the country imported over $400 million worth of wheat in the eight months ending in December to offset the decline in domestic production.

Figures show that Russia accounted for more than half of Iran’s wheat imports during this period.

Anajafi also announced that the Ministry of Agriculture may revise the guaranteed purchase price for domestically grown wheat, amid the government’s plans to liberalize prices of staple foods.

In October, the government announced that the purchase price of domestic wheat in the 2026 season would increase by 40% to an average of 285,000 rials per kilogram.

Tags: Iran, wheat