Where Does Resolving the Agricultural Sector's Fuel Supply Challenge Stand?

Ongoing fuel supply problems for agricultural machinery on the eve of the planting season have raised concerns about rising production costs and a threat to food security, while officials have announced a projection of 2.7 billion liters of fuel for the upcoming crop year.

According to the report of Ambassador Arjan, timely and appropriate supply of fuel for agricultural machinery is one of the prerequisites for the continuation of the production of food products; An issue that becomes more important with the beginning of the cultivation season and the increase in the need for the activity of tractors and other agricultural equipment. However, in recent years, the activists of this sector have faced challenges in the field of quota amount, how to distribute and estimate the actual consumption of fuel; Problems that, according to them, if continued, could increase production costs and disrupt agricultural operations.

One of the main points of dispute is how to calculate the fuel consumption of agricultural machinery. Activists of this sector believe that in determining the quotas, the real conditions of activity in the farms, wear and tear of the fleet, the quality of the machinery and the limitations in the agricultural lands should be taken into consideration. Because the use of criteria that are not proportional to the operational conditions can lead to determining a quota lower than the actual needs of farmers.

On the other hand, the smallness of the land, the distance between the fields and the tractors, the inappropriateness of the roads between the fields, and the uneven distribution of fuel are some of the other problems faced by the farmers. According to the activists of this sector, in some cases, the basis of fuel allocation is such that the difference in the amount of needs of users with different cultivated levels is not properly considered; An issue that highlights the need to review the method of calculating and allocating quotas.

agricultural fuel quota; Dispute over the amount of actual consumption

Some activists of the agricultural sector, referring to the fuel consumption characteristics of tractors, say that the amount of consumption declared by the manufacturers is about 14.5 liters per hour in some cases, but in the calculations used to allocate the quota, lower figures such as 10 liters per hour are used.

According to these activists, comparing the consumption of worn-out domestic machinery with international standards, regardless of the technical condition of the equipment and their operating conditions, cannot be an accurate basis for determining the fuel quota. They also believe that the wear and tear of part of the agricultural fleet and the long life of some machines doubles the necessity of conducting expert and field investigations.

Meanwhile, supplying fuel from the free market, in case of lack of official quota, can increase production costs and affect the final price of agricultural products. Therefore, the activists of the agricultural sector emphasize the necessity of reforming the fuel allocation mechanism and matching it with the real needs of the users.

Allocation of 2.7 billion liters of fuel for the upcoming crop year

In this context, Gholamreza Nouri Qazaljeh, Minister of Jihad Agriculture, had previously announced that necessary decisions have been made for the upcoming crop year, which begins in October, and 2.7 billion liters of fuel have been considered for this period.

Emphasizing the fuel supply needed by the agricultural sector, he said that farmers and operators should not worry about fuel supply, especially between October and the end of March.

Despite this announcement, the activists of the agricultural sector continue to report problems in receiving the fuel quota and believe that simply predicting a specific amount of fuel, without removing the barriers to allocation and distribution, does not necessarily mean that farmers will have timely access to the required fuel.

The necessity of agreement between the Ministries of Agriculture and Oil on the amount of consumption

Arslan Ghasemi, advisor to the chairman of the Agriculture Commission of the Chamber of Cooperation, emphasized the need to reach an agreement between the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad and the Ministry of Oil to supply the fuel needed by the agricultural sector.

Referring to the wear and tear of agricultural machinery, he said: these two ministries should come to a common conclusion about the accurate estimation of the actual amount of fuel consumption so that farmers do not face the problem of fuel shortage.

Criticizing the current situation, Ghasemi stated: Currently, some farmers are forced to get the fuel they need from the open market and even the informal market, and at the same time, they are treated similar to the smugglers. Therefore, the determination of fuel consumption and quota should be done based on completely expert investigations.

Emphasizing the importance of the country's food security, he added: In the current situation, efforts should be made more than in the past to provide the food needed by households in order to prevent any crisis in this area.

The adviser to the chairman of the agricultural commission of the cooperative chamber also considered it necessary to hold joint meetings between the ministries of agriculture and oil jihad, the program and budget organization, and the cooperative and commercial chambers to resolve disputes and reach an expert and unified decision.

The current fuel quota for tractors is only enough for three days a month

Peyman Alami, the head of the Chamber of Agricultural Guilds, also criticized the fuel supply situation for agricultural machinery and said: currently, fuel supply for tractors is facing serious challenges; So that in the last 10 days, the fuel quota has been cut off in the Sadaf system of the National Petroleum Products Distribution Company, and it has not even been possible to receive this limited quota.

He stated that the current quota of fuel for tractors is only enough for three days a month, and added: In such a situation, farmers are forced to obtain the fuel they need from the open market and informal routes, or stop farming if they do not have access to fuel.

Referring to the share of the agricultural sector in the country's fuel consumption, Alami said: Compared to the total fuel consumption of the transportation sector, the need of this sector has a limited share and it has been declared to be around three percent. Therefore, saving money in this area will not have much effect on solving the fuel shortage, but limiting the supply of fuel to farmers can cause irreparable damage to the country's food security.

fuel supply; A prerequisite for the continuation of the production of agricultural products

In general, the dispute over the basis of calculation of consumption, the way of allocating quotas and the existing limitations in the distribution system are among the issues that are still in the way of supplying fuel to the agricultural sector. In a situation where planting, sowing and harvesting operations depend on the continuous operation of machinery, delays in fuel supply can disrupt the timing of agricultural activities in addition to increasing production costs.

Therefore, it is necessary for the Ministries of Jihad Agriculture and Oil, in cooperation with the Program and Budget Organization and organizations of the agricultural sector, to develop a transparent and fair mechanism for the allocation and distribution of fuel, while conducting a field survey of the actual consumption of machinery. It is also necessary to predict 2.7 billion liters of fuel for the upcoming crop year, with a specific plan for the timely allocation and delivery of fuel to the users, so that the existing problems do not lead to a decrease in the production of agricultural products and an increase in food supply costs.