Iran Agriculture Stats
Around a third of the total land area of Iran is suited for agriculture. However, only a tenth is actually irrigated and used. Thus, today, while the government is keen on making the country self-sufficient in agricultural produce, Iran still needs to import most of its goods in order to feed the population.
Ironically, Iran’s landscape and geography allow various crops can be grown in huge numbers in many parts of the country. The varying temperatures allow for the growth of multitudes of crops which can be exported to other countries. Even with the best efforts of the Iranian government, a little more than half of all agriculturally arable lands are used.
The most important crops of Iran include wheat and rice. The country managed to export hundreds of thousands tons of wheat in 2005-2007, but they imported more than a million tons of the same produce the following year due to a catastrophic drought. Rice is also produced, but production does not meet the needs of the entire Iranian population, forcing the country to export rice from countries like Pakistan, Panama and the UAE.
Pistachio production is where the good news lies. Essentially, Iran is one of the top producers of pistachio, behind only the US and Turkey, making the agricultural produce one of the country’s top exports. Fruit production is also impressive. Iran is the world’s top exporter of fruits like berries and stone fruits.
Definitions
- Agricultural growth: Index of agricultural production in 1996 - 98 (1989 - 91 = 100)
- Agricultural growth per capita: Net per capita agricultural production, expressed in International Dollars. Net means after deduction of feed and seed. International Dollars are calculated using the Geary-Khamis formula, which is designed to neutralize irrelevant exchange rate movements (more information on http://faostat3.fao.org/faostat-gateway/go/to/mes/glossary/*/E)
- Agricultural land > Sq. km: Agricultural land (sq. km). Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.
- Agricultural land > Sq. km per 1000: Agricultural land (sq. km). Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops. Figures expressed per thousand population for the same year.
- Agricultural machinery > Tractors: Agricultural machinery refers to the number of wheel and crawler tractors (excluding garden tractors) in use in agriculture at the end of the calendar year specified or during the first quarter of the following year.
- Agricultural machinery > Tractors > Per capita: Agricultural machinery refers to the number of wheel and crawler tractors (excluding garden tractors) in use in agriculture at the end of the calendar year specified or during the first quarter of the following year. Per capita figures expressed per 1,000 population.
- Agricultural machinery > Tractors per 100 hectares of arable land: Agricultural machinery refers to the number of wheel and crawler tractors (excluding garden tractors) in use in agriculture at the end of the calendar year specified or during the first quarter of the following year. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.
- Agricultural machinery > Tractors per 1000: Agricultural machinery refers to the number of wheel and crawler tractors (excluding garden tractors) in use in agriculture at the end of the calendar year specified or during the first quarter of the following year. Figures expressed per thousand population for the same year.
- Agricultural methane emissions > Thousand metric tons of CO2 equivalent: Agricultural methane emissions (thousand metric tons of CO2 equivalent). Agricultural methane emissions are emissions from animals, animal waste, rice production, agricultural waste burning (nonenergy, on-site), and savannah burning.
- Agricultural methane emissions > Thousand metric tons of CO2 equivalent per million: Agricultural methane emissions (thousand metric tons of CO2 equivalent). Agricultural methane emissions are emissions from animals, animal waste, rice production, agricultural waste burning (nonenergy, on-site), and savannah burning. Figures expressed per million population for the same year.
- Agricultural nitrous oxide emissions > Thousand metric tons of CO2 equivalent: Agricultural nitrous oxide emissions (thousand metric tons of CO2 equivalent). Agricultural nitrous oxide emissions are emissions produced through fertilizer use (synthetic and animal manure), animal waste management, agricultural waste burning (nonenergy, on-site), and savannah burning.
- Agricultural nitrous oxide emissions > Thousand metric tons of CO2 equivalent per million: Agricultural nitrous oxide emissions (thousand metric tons of CO2 equivalent). Agricultural nitrous oxide emissions are emissions produced through fertilizer use (synthetic and animal manure), animal waste management, agricultural waste burning (nonenergy, on-site), and savannah burning. Figures expressed per million population for the same year.
- Value added > Constant 2000 US$ > Per capita: Agriculture corresponds to ISIC divisions 1-5 and includes forestry, hunting, and fishing, as well as cultivation of crops and livestock production. Value added is the net output of a sector after adding up all outputs and subtracting intermediate inputs. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or depletion and degradation of natural resources. The origin of value added is determined by the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC), revision 3. Data are in constant 2000 U.S. dollars. Per capita figures expressed per 1 population.
- Value added > Current US$ > Per $ GDP: Agriculture corresponds to ISIC divisions 1-5 and includes forestry, hunting, and fishing, as well as cultivation of crops and livestock production. Value added is the net output of a sector after adding up all outputs and subtracting intermediate inputs. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or depletion and degradation of natural resources. The origin of value added is determined by the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC), revision 3. Data are in current U.S. dollars. Per $ GDP figures expressed per 1,000 $ gross domestic product.
- Agriculture, value added > Current US$: Agriculture, value added (current US$), including forestry, hunting, and fishing, as well as cultivation of crops and livestock production. Value added is the net output of a sector after adding up all outputs and subtracting intermediate inputs. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or depletion and degradation of natural resources.
- Agriculture, value added > Current US$ per capita: Agriculture, value added (current US$). Agriculture corresponds to ISIC divisions 1-5 and includes forestry, hunting, and fishing, as well as cultivation of crops and livestock production. Value added is the net output of a sector after adding up all outputs and subtracting intermediate inputs. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or depletion and degradation of natural resources. The origin of value added is determined by the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC), revision 3. Figures expressed per capita for the same year.
- Arable land > Hectares: Arable land (in hectares) includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.
- Arable land > Hectares > Per capita: Arable land (in hectares) includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Per capita figures expressed per 1,000 population.
- Arable land > Hectares per 1000: Arable land (in hectares) includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Figures expressed per thousand population for the same year.
- Arable land > Hectares per capita: Arable land (hectares per person). Arable land (hectares per person) includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.
- Area > Rice: Land area under Rice, hectares, 2003/2004
- Beekeeping > Bee hives: Number of bee hives in select countries.
- Cotton > Exports: Exports of cotton 2003/2004
- Cotton use: Domestic use of cotton 2003/2004
- Fertilizer > Consumption > 100 grams per hectare of arable land: Fertilizer consumption (100 grams per hectare of arable land) measures the quantity of plant nutrients used per unit of arable land. Fertilizer products cover nitrogenous, potash, and phosphate fertilizers (including ground rock phosphate). Traditional nutrients--animal and plant manures--are not included. The time reference for fertilizer consumption is the crop year (July through June). Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.
- Fertilizer > Consumption > Metric tons: Fertilizer consumption measures the quantity of plant nutrients used per unit of arable land. Fertilizer products cover nitrogenous, potash, and phosphate fertilizers (including ground rock phosphate). Traditional nutrients--animal and plant manures--are not included. The time reference for fertilizer consumption is the crop year (July through June).
- Fertilizer > Consumption > Metric tons per 1000: Fertilizer consumption measures the quantity of plant nutrients used per unit of arable land. Fertilizer products cover nitrogenous, potash, and phosphate fertilizers (including ground rock phosphate). Traditional nutrients--animal and plant manures--are not included. The time reference for fertilizer consumption is the crop year (July through June). Figures expressed per thousand population for the same year.
- Grains > Barley > Consumption: Figures for 2003/2004
- Grains > Coarse grain imports: Figures for 2003/2004
- Grains > Rice > Consumption: Figures for 2003/2004
- Grains > Rice > Consumption per million: Figures for 2003/2004. Figures expressed per million population for the same year.
- Grains > Wheat > Consumption: Figures for 2003/2004
- Grains > Wheat > Consumption per million: Figures for 2003/2004. Figures expressed per million population for the same year.
- Gross value added: Gross Value Added by agriculture, hunting, forestry, fishing at current prices - US dollars.
- Gross value added per capita: Gross Value Added by agriculture, hunting, forestry, fishing at current prices - US dollars. Figures expressed per capita for the same year.
- Land > Arable land and Permanent crops: Arable land and Permanent crops.
- Methane emissions > Kt of CO2 equivalent per 1000: Methane emissions (kt of CO2 equivalent). Methane emissions are those stemming from human activities such as agriculture and from industrial methane production. Figures expressed per thousand population for the same year.
- Nitrous oxide emissions > Thousand metric tons of CO2 equivalent per million: Nitrous oxide emissions (thousand metric tons of CO2 equivalent). Nitrous oxide emissions are emissions from agricultural biomass burning, industrial activities, and livestock management. Figures expressed per million population for the same year.
- Permanent crops: Permanent crops in 2000.
- Produce > Cereal > Cereal production > Metric tons: Cereal production (metric tons). Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food or silage, and those used for grazing, are excluded.
- Produce > Cereal > Cereal production > Metric tons per 1000: Cereal production (metric tons). Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food or silage, and those used for grazing, are excluded. Figures expressed per thousand population for the same year.
- Produce > Cereal > Cereal yield > Kg per hectare: Cereal yield (kg per hectare). Includes wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food or silage, and those used for grazing, are excluded. The FAO allocates production data to the calendar year in which the bulk of the harvest took place. Most of a crop harvested near the end of a year will be used in the following year.
- Produce > Cereal > Production: Average production of cereals (1999-2001). Average Production of Cereals refers to the amount of cereals produced in a given country or region each year. Data are reported in thousand metric tons. Cereals include wheat, barley, maize, rye, oats, millet, s
- Produce > Cotton > Production: Production of cotton 2003/2004, in thousand bales.
- Produce > Crop > Production index: Crop production index shows agricultural production for each year relative to the base period 1999-2001. It includes all crops except fodder crops. Regional and income group aggregates for the FAO's production indexes are calculated from the underlying values in international dollars, normalized to the base period 1999-2001.
- Produce > Food > Production index: Food production index covers food crops that are considered edible and that contain nutrients. Coffee and tea are excluded because, although edible, they have no nutritive value.
- Produce > Livestock > Production index: Livestock production index includes meat and milk from all sources, dairy products such as cheese, and eggs, honey, raw silk, wool, and hides and skins.
- Produce > Meat > Production: Meat production in thousand metric tonnes
- Produce > Meat > Production per million: Meat production in thousand metric tonnes. Figures expressed per million population for the same year.
- Produce > Wheat > Production: Figures for 2003/2004
- Produce > Wheat > Yield: Yield of Wheat, Metric tons per hectare, 2003/2004
- Products: Major agricultural crops and products
- Renewable internal freshwater resources, total > Billion cubic meters: Renewable internal freshwater resources, total (billion cubic meters). Renewable internal freshwater resources flows refer to internal renewable resources (internal river flows and groundwater from rainfall) in the country.
- Renewable internal freshwater resources, total > Billion cubic meters per million: Renewable internal freshwater resources, total (billion cubic meters). Renewable internal freshwater resources flows refer to internal renewable resources (internal river flows and groundwater from rainfall) in the country. Figures expressed per million population for the same year.
- Rural population: Total population living in rural areas. Future estimates are from the UN Population Division.
- Rural population per thousand people: Total population living in rural areas. Future estimates are from the UN Population Division. Figures expressed per thousand people for the same year.
- Value added per worker > Constant 2000 US$: Agriculture value added per worker is a measure of agricultural productivity. Value added in agriculture measures the output of the agricultural sector (ISIC divisions 1-5) less the value of intermediate inputs. Agriculture comprises value added from forestry, hunting, and fishing as well as cultivation of crops and livestock production. Data are in constant 2000 U.S. dollars.
- Water productivity, total > Constant 2000 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal: Water productivity, total (constant 2000 US$ GDP per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawal). Water productivity is calculated as GDP in constant prices divided by annual total water withdrawal. GDP (Gross domestic product) is the market value of all officially recognized final goods and services produced within a country in a year.
SOURCES:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2001; http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=FAO&f=itemCode%3a2051, Agriculture (PIN) +; Food and Agriculture Organization; Food and Agriculture Organization. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; World Development Indicators database; World Development Indicators database. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; International Energy Agency; International Energy Agency. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; World Bank national accounts data
United Nations Statistics Division
; World Bank national accounts data. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; Food and Agriculture Organization; Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division, FAS, USDA; Wikipedia: Beekeeping (World honey production and consumption); United States Department of Agriculture; United States Department of Agriculture. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; United Nations Statistics Division; United Nations Statistics Division. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; Food and Agriculture Organization. Source tables; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2000; World Resources Institute; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2001. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 25 March 2010.; Food and Agriculture Organization. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; United Nations Population Division. Source tables; United Nations Population Division. Source tables. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.
Citation
Iran Agriculture Profiles (Subcategories)
Agricultural machinery 4 | Grains 8 |
Agriculture 3 | Livestock 3 |
Arable land 5 | Produce 48 |
Area 6 | Value added 10 |
Fertilizer 4 |
- Iran ranked third for agricultural machinery > tractors amongst Muslim countries in 2003.
- Iran ranked second for agricultural land > sq. km amongst Middle Eastern and North Africa in 2011.
2
Around a third of the total land area of Iran is suited for agriculture. However, only a tenth is actually irrigated and used. Thus, today, while the government is keen on making the country self-sufficient in agricultural produce, Iran still needs to import most of its goods in order to feed the population.
Ironically, Iran’s landscape and geography allow various crops can be grown in huge numbers in many parts of the country. The varying temperatures allow for the growth of multitudes of crops which can be exported to other countries. Even with the best efforts of the Iranian government, a little more than half of all agriculturally arable lands are used.
The most important crops of Iran include wheat and rice. The country managed to export hundreds of thousands tons of wheat in 2005-2007, but they imported more than a million tons of the same produce the following year due to a catastrophic drought. Rice is also produced, but production does not meet the needs of the entire Iranian population, forcing the country to export rice from countries like Pakistan, Panama and the UAE.
Pistachio production is where the good news lies. Essentially, Iran is one of the top producers of pistachio, behind only the US and Turkey, making the agricultural produce one of the country’s top exports. Fruit production is also impressive. Iran is the world’s top exporter of fruits like berries and stone fruits.