Tehran – Iran has recorded zero imports of chicken meat and eggs, marking a major achievement in the country's push for agricultural self-sufficiency, a senior official at the Ministry of Agriculture announced.

 

In an interview with ISNA on Saturday, Mohammad-Ebrahim Hassan-Nejad, the deputy minister for livestock products affairs, confirmed that no chicken meat imports have taken place so far this year (1405 on the Iranian calendar), continuing a trend from the previous year (1404), when domestic production also fully supplied the country's strategic reserves.

 

"Currently, we have no imports whatsoever in the poultry sector, particularly chicken meat," he said.

 

On eggs, the deputy minster noted that Iran has been completely self-sufficient for more than three years, with no imports during that period. Domestic egg production now exceeds national demand, he added, and a portion is already being exported.

 

According to Hassan-Nejad, the country's poultry sector has reached full self-sufficiency, with local production meeting all domestic needs for several consecutive years. These achievements, he said, align with both ministry policies and the targets set under the Seventh Five-Year Development Plan.

 

He pledged continued efforts to maintain this status across other livestock products.

 

"In egg production, we have surpassed domestic demand, and exports are underway," he said. "Milk production has also exceeded national needs, and for years, part of it has been exported abroad in the form of dairy and livestock products."

 

Regarding red meat, Hassan-Nejad said approximately 85 percent of the country's demand is met through domestic production, while the remaining 15 percent is imported solely for market regulation and strategic reserve purposes.

 

The deputy minister reaffirmed that the ministry's policy is to sustain self-sufficiency in livestock products by supporting local producers and enhancing productivity across the sector.