TEHRAN - Cotton production in Iran is expected to increase by 20 percent in the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 20), an official with the Agriculture Ministry said.

According to Ebrahim Hezarjaribi, the director of the ministry’s cotton production program, currently, the products from 100,000 hectares of cotton fields across Iran have been collected and considering the current output, a 20-percent increase in total production is achievable.

“The total cotton production in the country is expected to reach 300,000 tons in the current year, Hezarjaribi was quoted by Tasnim news agency.

Pointing to a 17-percent increase in the area under cotton cultivation this year compared to the previous year, the official said: “Last year, nearly 97,500 hectares of cotton fields were cultivated across the country.”

EF/MA