TEHRAN – The director of Iranian Agriculture Ministry’s modern irrigation systems development plan announced that 185,000 hectares of farmlands have been equipped with modern irrigation systems since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20).

According to Abbas Zare, the irrigation systems are under construction for 131,099 hectares, while for 53,953 hectares the systems have been put into operation.

The purpose of implementing the plan of modern irrigation systems is to increase the productivity and sustainability of water and soil resources in the country to ensure the sustainable production of agricultural products.

According to Zare, 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.

The official has said that the implementation of this plan is going to increase the irrigation efficiency of the farmlands to 44 percent which will increase the production capacity of agricultural products by 30 percent.

Back in May, Zare had 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 Iranian year, the ministry would be able to develop the project in terms of both quantity and quality.

MA/MA