TEHRAN- Iran plans to create 2,500 hectares of new greenhouses in the country during the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 20, 2021), which is named the year of “Surge in Production”, according to the operator of the plan for developing greenhouses.

As reported by the Agriculture Ministry, Habib Radfar said that the new greenhouses being created, the total greenhouse area in the country will reach 4,600 hectares.

Radfar also said that the newly created greenhouse area will reach 400 hectares by the end of the first quarter of the current year (June 20).

He further mentioned that of the 2,500 hectares projected for this year, some 1,200 hectares will be created in the current year, but will be put into operation in the first half of the next year (March 21-September 21, 2021).

As previously announced by the managing director of Ferdows Pars Agricultural and Livestock Holding, Iran is anticipated to produce 5,000 tons of fruits and vegetables in the greenhouses throughout the country in the current Iranian calendar year.

Azim Rajaei said that 80 percent of Iran’s greenhouse fruits and vegetables are exported.

Also as announced by the managing director of Iran’s Agricultural Parks Company (APC), over 7,250 hectares of land have been allocated to be developed as agricultural parks.

Some 1,500 hectares of fishery parks and 600 hectares of livestock, poultry, and aquaculture parks are also planned to be inaugurated this year, Ali Ashraf Mansouri said.

He further noted that APC has registered a request for 40 trillion rials (about $952 million) of bank facilities for implementing development projects.

The parks will be awarded to capable companies without any specific limitations, and facilities will also be provided for development in three areas of the greenhouse, aquaculture, as well as livestock and poultry.

Development of the country’s agricultural parks not only is going to create new job opportunities but also increases the country’s non-oil exports and helps to preserve the environment and the national water and soil resources.

Back in March, Mansouri had announced that 8.3 trillion rials (about $197.6 million) of facilities were paid for the development of agricultural parks across the country since the beginning of the past calendar year (March 21, 2019) up to March 11.

According to the official, the mentioned facilities were paid for development or construction of various agricultural parks including greenhouses, fisheries, and aquaculture, as well as livestock and poultry.

Iran has exported over $5.8 billion worth of agricultural and foodstuff products in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19), as announced by Head of Agriculture Ministry’s Planning and Economic Affairs Department Shahrokh Shajari.

According to the official, about 7.104 million tons of such products worth $5.821 billion were exported to foreign destinations last year.

In the mentioned period, over 6.941 million tons of agricultural and foodstuff products worth $6.392 billion were also imported into the country, Shajari added.

Watermelons, apples, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and shallots were the top five exported products in the previous year in terms of weight, while in terms of value, pistachios, apples, tomatoes, pistachio kernels, and watermelons were the five major export products.

Shajari further pointed to the major imported items in terms of weight, saying: corn, barley, soybean meal, soybean, and untreated sugar were the top five imported items, while in terms of value livestock corn, rice, barley, and soybeans were the top imported products.

MA/MA