FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 01/00 - IRAN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF (1 February)

Storms across northern parts of the country in mid-January, killed several people and destroyed more than 1 000 homes. The worst affected area was the province of Gilan, though the full extent of damage to agriculture is yet not known. Currently the main crops in the ground are wheat, the country's main staple and barley, which is extremely important for the livestock sector, on which a large part of the population depend. Harvesting of barley will commence from March, whilst that of wheat will begin around May/June.

In 1999, the worst drought in 30 years severely affected agricultural production, as a result of which domestic wheat production fell by 25 percent from around 12 million tonnes in 1998 to around 9 million tonnes. Rice production (milled) also fell significantly by around 17 percent from 1.74 million tonnes to 1.45 million tonnes, whilst barley output went down from around 3 million to 2.5 million tonnes. As a result of the shortfall in crop production, large imports were necessary to meet demand, including some 6 million tonnes of wheat. The country is one of the largest importers of rice.

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