Potato replacing rice in Iran

Faced with increasing food prices and extremely high inflation due to the US sanctions, Iran is turning to potatoes to feed its growing population of almost 83 million. Rice which is currently Iranian’s main staple food is slowly conceding its top spot to potatoes thanks to an aggressive government policy to promote potatoes. Fear of economic unrest, a devalued currency, drop in imports, and extreme water shortages (limited amount of rice grown in northern Iran requires several times more water than potatoes), has made rice hard to consume for the masses.