TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran plans to export 400,000 metric tons of durum wheat as its total domestic production continue to increase, an official said.

“This year, despite a decrease in rain, thanks to the motivation of farmers and the support given to them, an additional 1.4 million tons of wheat was purchased compared to last year,” Bloomberg quoted Iranian Deputy Agriculture Minister Ali Qanbari as saying on Sunday.

Iran bought 8.08 million tons of wheat from local farmers this year, Ghanbari added.

Iran won’t need to import wheat because local supplies are sufficient, he had said back in August.

Iran ranks with Turkey as the second-largest wheat buyer in the Middle East, behind Egypt, the world’s biggest wheat importer.

Iran’s new administration, which took office in August 2013, has voiced determination to increase the volume of the country's non-oil exports.

By Tasnim News Agency