TEHRAN- To tighten Iran’ food security, supporting farmers stands as the new agriculture ministry's top priority, President Rouhani’s ministerial nominee for agriculture Mahmoud Hojjati announced defending his future plans in an open session of Iranian parliament (Majlis) on Thursday.

As Mehr news agency quoted Hojjati saying, at the present time, Iran supplies 90 percent of its need of food domestically and that is the main reason for supporting the agriculture sector more effectively in future. 

“In line with supportive risk management in agriculture sector, the Agriculture Ministry paid 120 trillion rials (about $3.14 billion) to domestic farmers via Agricultural Insurance Fund in the last Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20, 2017),” the proposed minister said.

Iran has become self-sufficient in production of wheat, he underscored.

Exports of agricultural products constituted for one fifth of the country’s total exports last year, he added.

HJ/MA