BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 8
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
In general, 55,000 hectares of agricultural lands in Iran have been equipped with modern irrigation systems from the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2021) to February 8, 2022, Iranian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Jihad Alimorad Akbari said, Trend reports citing the ministry.
He made the remark in an event dedicated to the equipping of agricultural areas in the Ilam Province (western Iran) with modern irrigation systems.
According to Akbari, work is underway to also equip 110,000 hectares of agricultural lands with modern irrigation systems.
“A total of 25 trillion rials (about $595 million) is to be allocated in the current Iranian year (March 21, 2021 through March 20, 2022) to equip agricultural areas in Iran with modern irrigation systems, of which 30 percent has been allocated so far,” he added.
The deputy minister noted that more than 2.5 million hectares of land in Iran have been equipped with modern irrigation systems so far.
Given the drought in the country, the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture Jihad is focusing on expanding greenhouses and growing plants in greenhouses that need more water, Akbari said.
The deputy minister stressed that at present, the area of greenhouses in Iran is 27,000 hectares. Greenhouses have the potential to increase employment and production by 10 percent and significantly reduce water consumption.
---
Follow the author on Twitter:@BaghishovElnur