TEHRAN – Following the Iranian Agriculture Ministry’s new irrigation systems development plan, 174,000 hectares of farmlands have been equipped with modern irrigation systems in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 20), the ministry’s project manager for the mentioned development plan said.

According to Abbas Zare, the purpose of implementing the plan of modern irrigation systems was to increase the productivity and sustainability of water and soil resources in the country to ensure the sustainable production of agricultural products, IRIB reported.

“Following the support of the government and the Leader for this project, of 8.7 million hectares of the country’s total irrigated lands, so far about 2.4 million hectares have been equipped with modern systems,” Zare said.

The official noted that in the current Iranian calendar year, nearly 16 trillion rials (about $380.9 million) has been allocated from the annual budget and the National Development Fund (NDF) for the development of various irrigation methods.

With the mentioned funding, so far the irrigation systems are under construction for 130,000 hectares, while for 44,000 hectares the systems have been put into operation, he explained.

According to the official, the implementation of this plan is going to increase the irrigation efficiency of the mentioned farmlands to 44 percent which will increase the production capacity of agricultural products by 30 percent.

The consumption of agricultural fertilizers will also be reduced by 30 percent which consequently leads to a reduction in the environmental impacts of this sector, he said.

Back in May, Zare said that the plan for developing new irrigation systems has witnessed a significant leap in the past three years, as it is most effective in increasing the efficiency of water and soil resources and strengthening the country's food security.

Over the past three years, each year, an average of 150,000 hectares of farmlands have been equipped with modern irrigation systems, and we have witnessed a 300 percent jump, he stated.

The official expressed hope that considering the budget allocation for the provinces at the beginning of the current calendar year, the ministry would be able to develop the project in terms of both quantity and quality.

EF/MA