TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, on Thursday, inaugurated three major agricultural projects valued at 34 trillion rials (about $809.5 million) via video conference in three provinces, IRNA reported.

The mentioned projects, namely an irrigation system in southern Hormozgan Province, 4,040 hectares of gardens in the sloping lands of western Lorestan Province, and a greenhouse complex in the central Yazd Province, were inaugurated as part of the government’s programs for the realization of the surge in production motto.

Speaking in the inauguration ceremony, Rouhani said: “We cannot meet the agricultural needs of the country traditionally, so we must change the traditional cultivation and irrigation ways to industrial methods.”

As one of the largest irrigation projects in the country, the first phase of Minab plain irrigation network project was inaugurated with the aim of optimal utilization of water resources and agricultural development for various products like eggplant, onion, pepper, and watermelon, wheat, canola and sunflower.

Cultivating gardens in steep lands, in addition to preventing soil erosion, will generate employment and increase income for the people of the region.

According to the Head of Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization Masoud Mansour, in the past two years over 60,000 hectares of gardens have been established in sloping and low-yield lands across the country, which has consequently created 20,000 jobs and increased production by 183,000 tons.

The greenhouse complex inaugurated in Arnan village in Yazad is established in an area of 15,000 square meters by the private sector and with government support.

This complex has currently provided direct jobs for 15 people.

In this greenhouse, about 600 tons of lettuce and cabbage are produced annually, which in addition to meeting the needs of Yazd, are also sent to other provinces.

EF/MA