Rice Harvest-Season Clearance Ban Void for 1404

Iran's Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade has notified Customs that the annual rice import clearance ban during harvest season, from the start of Mordad through the end of Aban, is null and void and not enforceable for 1404, following a Parliament oversight body's finding that the ban conflicts with the law guaranteeing purchase of basic agricultural commodities.

Effective from: 6 October 2025
Issued by: Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade
Reference: No. 6111577

The Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade has notified the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration that the seasonal ban on rice clearance during the domestic harvest period is null and void and not to be applied during 1404.

The matter traces back to a Cabinet resolution (No. 56016/T64342H, dated July 2, 2025) which had removed item (54) of the table referenced under clause (8) of the notes to Chapter 10, Part Two of the Export and Import Regulations Book — the provision underlying Cabinet Resolution No. 1235/T57522H of April 8, 2020, which had imposed the annual ban on rice clearance during the harvest season, defined as the period from the start of Mordad through the end of Aban each year. Parliament’s committee responsible for reviewing government resolutions for conformity with law examined the July 2025 Cabinet resolution and, citing item 4 of clause (a) of Note 1 of the Single Article Law on Guaranteed Purchase of Basic Agricultural Products, determined that because rice is classified as a basic agricultural product under that law, the government’s earlier declaration of a harvest-season rice clearance ban was contrary to law.

Under Iran’s constitutional review procedure for government resolutions (Article 138 of the Constitution and its implementing law), the President was formally notified that, following this determination and after the expiration of the one-week period prescribed by law, the portion of the July 2025 Cabinet resolution addressing the rice clearance ban issue would no longer stand.

Based on this, the Export and Import Regulations Office of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran informed Iran Customs that the harvest-season rice clearance ban is null and void and not applicable for 1404, forwarding the relevant presidential office correspondence for information and instructing that the change be reflected in the Comprehensive Trade System’s clearance rules. Businesses importing rice should note that no seasonal restriction on rice clearance applies during the Mordad-through-Aban period for 1404.

Key Details

Approval authority: Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade
Responsible organization: Not specified
Classification: Circular
Affected procedure: Clearance
Document number: 6111577
Unique identifier: 404071335070
Document date: September 25, 2025
Publication date: October 5, 2025
Effective date: October 6, 2025
Expiration date: Not specified

This summary is provided for orientation only. The official Persian text issued by the relevant Iranian authority is the governing version.