Alinia in an interview with Iran Students News Agency (ISNA) said that around 7% of the country’s rice is produced in the Northern provinces and predicted the amount of rice imports would reach 400,000 tons in the current year.
He further referred to the functional changes of rice fields into structural lands as one of the main problems impeding the country’s rice production.
Alinia stated that the annual average rice consumption for each person in Iran is 40kg adding that the amount of internal rice consumption in Iran is 400,000 tons per year.
The official added that this year three new varieties of rice were planted in Mazandaran and Gilan provinces.
The new varieties have a better cooking quality and do not become stiff after cooking, he said.
Alinia went on to say that an average of 20-25% of the total rice produced in Iran turns to wastage and 50-60% of the planted paddies developed into nutritious rice.
HL/DWN/IS
END
MNA