The Cost of Wheat Self-Sufficiency: Urgent Need to Reform Cropping Patterns and Support Strategic Crops

Iran’s long-standing policy of wheat self-sufficiency, once seen as a national achievement, has led to significant negative impacts on the production of other essential crops like barley and corn.

Despite previous self-sufficiency in barley, Iran now imports 1.5 to 3 million tons annually, and corn imports have surged to 9–11 million tons, replacing nearly half of domestic production. Water scarcity, rising agricultural input costs, and unattractive guaranteed prices have pushed farmers to favor more profitable export crops over staple foods. The country imports over 36 million tons of essential products, costing $18 billion, threatening national food security. Experts emphasize the urgent need to reform cropping patterns, support strategic crop production, and align guaranteed prices with production costs to sustain agriculture and food security.