Iran to be self-sufficient in exporting red meat

 

"The advisor to the deputy minister in charge of livestock production emphasized that protecting domestic production requires preventing imported fresh meat (subsidized by preferential exchange rates) from undermining local producers."

"He stated: With a livestock population of approximately 50 million sheep and lambs, 17 million goats,  1.926 million industrial dairy cows, about 4 million crossbred cattle, and nearly 1 million indigenous cattle, Iran produces 923,000 tons of red meat annually." 

The Advisor to the Deputy Minister for Livestock Development and Production Improvement stated:
"With Iran's annual red meat requirement estimated at approximately 1,089,000 tons, necessary programs have been developed and are currently being implemented to meet about 166,000 tons of this demand. This will be achieved through:
•    Completing fattening cycles for domestically raised cattle
•    Preventing premature slaughter
•    Reactivating underutilized and idle feedlot capacities
•    Utilizing newly established capacities in Sistan and Baluchestan Province
•    Partial imports of frozen beef strictly for industrial processing needs."

"Iran's total milk production is estimated at approximately 12.8 million tons annually. Of this amount:
•    8.5 to 9 million tons of quality raw milk are absorbed by industrial dairy processing plants
•    The remainder supplies:
o    Small-scale dairy and local processors
o    Rural household consumption
o    On-farm use by dairy operations themselves." 

Taheri Yeganeh stated:
"Approximately 60% of Iran’s total raw milk production comes from industrial dairy farms, while the remaining 40% is produced by rural dairy units, buffalo, sheep, and goats."
He further added:
"FAO’s 2023 report confirmed Iran’s industrial raw milk production at 8.485 million tons, ranking the country 20th globally in milk production." 

He stated:
The seasonal nature of small ruminant (sheep/goat) breeding has created challenges in supplying lamb/mutton due to uneven production and availability throughout the year. To address this, Iran is implementing programs such as:   
•    Improving reproductive efficiency in sheep flocks
•    Introducing dual-purpose (meat/dairy) breeds
•    Modernizing rural and nomadic livestock production systems. 

The official highlighted one of the most important ongoing initiatives of the Livestock Production Department as "the implementation of a rural and nomadic livestock production enhancement program in collaboration with the Executive Headquarters of Imam's Directive and the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation." 

"A key priority is boosting rural/nomadic livestock output through a 5-year partnership with the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation and the Executive Headquarters of Imam's Directive, targeting:
•    10 million sheep in production systems
•    +40,000 tons of annual meat supply." 

The official emphasized that supporting domestic production requires preventing imported fresh meat—subsidized through preferential exchange rates—from undermining local producers.