Tehran, Iran, May 22
By Kamyar Eghbalnejad - Trend:
Head of Trade Union for Agricultural and Industrial Machinery Manufacturers of Tehran Ali Tavasoti said Iran is replacing its old machinery with advanced industrial automation tools.
Iran is using the technology of automation and the private sector is using advanced automation tools to renew the country’s old machinery being used in industry and agriculture, Tavasoti told Trend in an exclusive interview on May 22.
Industrial automation is the use of control systems, such as computers or robots, and information technologies for handling different processes and machinery in an industry to replace a human being. It is the second step beyond mechanization in the scope of industrialization.
Iran has imported the machinery, he said, describing the current season as the best time for equipping farmers and industrialists and renovating their machines.
The machines will help save water in the country to a great extent as food and agriculture are the largest consumers of water, amounting to 92 percent, Tavasoti said.
He further called for the use of innovative irrigation systems across the country to reduce the country’s freshwater withdrawals.
Agriculture accounts for 13 percent of Iran’s GDP and over 20 percent of its employment. Iran is the world’s 20th country by agricultural output, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The sector, however, has its own detractors, who say the industry is using up 92 percent of the country’s water and draining its water tables amid inefficient agriculture and food production practices. They are pushing for farming overseas, in countries such as Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Brazil and Ghana through long-term leasing or ownership of farmlands with higher agribusiness potential.