Iran will buy 1.5-2.0 million metric tons of wheat in the current fiscal year to March 2016, Deputy Agriculture Minister Ali Qanbari said on Saturday.�

Better harvest is helping Iran reduce wheat imports which surpassed 6 million tons last year, he said.

Imports are expected to decline by�two-thirds this year, Qanbari said, adding domestic wheat production is estimated to reach 11 million tons.

Iran expects to buy 7.7 million tons of wheat from local producers -- 1 million ton more than the total bought a year before.

Qanbari said the country will need 9 million tons of bread making wheat and another 2 million tons for pasta making in the current fiscal year.

�For the 9 million-ton bread making flour, about 7.7 million tons will be bought from local farmers for distribution among bakers and the remaining 2 million tons will be purchased from abroad,� he said.

Iranian wheat growers also keep some of their crop to be utilized for own�consumption and seed.

Qanbari named Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Germany, Australia and Canada as the countries from which Iran will buy wheat.

The government has so far bought 3 million metric tons of wheat from local farmers since the start of the crop year.

Iran is one of the world�s biggest importers of milling wheat. The country experienced a short period of self-sufficiency a couple of years ago, but reclined back to its old trend in the face of a protracted drought.

Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati says the government plans to shrink wheat farms by 900,000 hectares over a period of 10 years and dedicate them to canola harvest which is less water intensive.

By Press TV