TEHRAN- Iran’s greenhouse development plan has been approved and announced as one of the key and priority projects of the Ministry of Agriculture in the resistance economy program.

According to this plan, which is one of the most complete development programs of the country in the field of agriculture, it is required to change the cultivation place of vegetables and other crops, that can be cultivated in controlled areas, from open spaces to greenhouses during a 10-year program, and also plan for the diversity of crop cultivation, especially for the production of tropical crops that are needed by the country, in the greenhouses.

Cultivation in the controlled space of the greenhouse will have an average of 10 times higher yield per unit area than outdoor cultivation due to suitable environmental conditions.

For example, in the case of cucumber, each square meter in the greenhouse will have a production capacity of 20 kilograms of cucumber, while compared to an outdoor production, the production capacity of one square meter of arable land will be much lower and about two kilograms.

Significant reduction in water consumption in modern greenhouses is in fact the major advantage of greenhouse cultivation.

In greenhouse cultivation, due to the closed environment, water loss through various evaporation ways is greatly reduced. Also, through mechanized irrigation methods such as irrigation canvas and irrigation tape, water consumption is minimized.

Increased control over pests, weeds, and diseases is the other advantage of greenhouse cultivation.

In greenhouse cultivation, due to accurate monitoring and control of pests and diseases, especially the use of biological control methods and a sharp reduction in the use of chemical pesticides, we will see an increase in product quality, that will lead to the popularity of the product in the market and increase export capability.

As a result, along with preserving the soil and environment, we will see good foreign currency income.

Greenhouses should be established on 125,000 hectares of land in country

On Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Javad Sadati-Nejad said that currently, there are about 25,000 hectares of greenhouses in Iran, and another 125,000 hectares of greenhouses are needed to be created in the country.

Referring to the country's need to create greenhouses on 125,000 hectares of land, the minister said: “To create this level of greenhouses, we need the support of investors and people, and the government also helps them in the field of facilities.”

Referring to the president's emphasis on the transfer of vegetable cultivation from open spaces to greenhouses, Sadati-Nejad added: “To implement this and boost water efficiency, we must have 150,000 hectares of greenhouses in the country.”

“We are trying to support investors in the creation of greenhouses; in this regard, a working group has been created so that we can lighten and cheapen greenhouse structures, and by locating them in the country, we can identify suitable climatic capacities that match the ecology of the region”, the official further stated.