Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 3
By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:
In the current Iranian year (started March 21), some 2,763 hectares of greenhouses are planned to be created in Iran, the public relations service of the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad of Iran said in a message citing Valiyollah Bani Ameri, the Executive Director of Iran's Greenhouse Development Program which operates under the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad.
Ameri said that currently work is wrapping up on 1,357 of the total mentioned area of 2,763 hectares.
According to him, up until now, 14,000 hectares of greenhouses have been created in Tehran, Isfahan, Yazd, Kerman and Hormuzgan provinces of Iran. So far, 12,000 hectares of 14,000 hectares have been put into operation.
"Greenhouses take 6-12 months, after their creation, to be put into operation . We expect 600,000 tons of growth in the production of greens and cucurbits, after 2,763 hectares of greenhouses become operational," he said.
"In order to implement the 2673 hectares greenhouse project, some 8 trillion rials (approx. $190.5 million) were needed. Half of the funds are provided via credit with special simplifications. The other half belongs to the private sector," Bani Ameri added.
"Presently, Iran's greenhouses produce 3 million tons of products. We aim to reach the production of 20 million tons by 2025 and export half of it," he said.
"In order to export Iran's greenhouse products, there is a target market of 600 million people in neighboring countries and Central Asia. Russia is the main and largest market for Iranian greenhouse products," said Ameri.