Summary
Planting for Iran’s 2002/03 winter wheat crop began in September and continues throughout different parts of the country. The rainfall from September through November was favorable along the Caspian Sea, but rainfall was below normal for a large portion of the country. More rainfall is especially required in western part of the country where a large portion of the rain-fed wheat crop is grown (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Winter wheat seasonal rainfall over Iran
Drought Recovery May Take More Than One Year
Iranian farmers hope to recover from three years of drought, which could take one year or more for full recovery. The land needs at least one good rainy season to recharge water reservoirs and groundwater reserves, and one good harvest to replenish their seed stocks. The rainy season in Iran is concentrated between late October and early April. Consequently, winter wheat, planted during the fall and harvested in late spring and early summer (Figure 2), is highly dependent on the success of these rains.
Irrigated Land Produces Majority of Iran's Wheat Output
In Iran, about 9 million hectares of land is irrigated using traditional and modern techniques, and 10 million hectares are rain-fed. Wheat is the core commodity of the Iranian food and agriculture system, grown on nearly half of the country’s rain-fed area and one-third of the irrigated area. As such, the rain-fed wheat crop covers nearly 4.5 million hectares, while the irrigated wheat crop covers approximately 2.2 million hectares. The average yield for irrigated wheat is approximately 3.0 tons/ha, compare to 0.95 tons/ha for rain-fed wheat.
Most of the rain-fed wheat crop is located in the western provinces of Kermanshah, Kurdistan, and Azerbaijan, with a larger share of the irrigated wheat crop located in the east (Figure 3). For the past three years, Iran has been a large wheat importer, with major suppliers typically being Kazakhstan, Canada, Argentina, and Australia.
Additional weather information over crop regions located within the Middle East is available at https://ww2.fas.usda.gov/rssiws/, and click on the "Middle East and Turkey" icon.
For more information, contact Curt Reynolds with the Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division at (202) 690-0134, or e-mail ReynoldsC@fas.usda.gov.