TEHRAN- As announced by a provincial official, 500 hectares of lands have been equipped with modern irrigation systems in North Khorasan province, in the northeast of Iran, in the past Iranian calendar year 1401 (ended on March 20).

Ebrahim Seyedi, the director of water and soil as well as technical-engineering affairs of the province’s Agriculture Department, put the fund for the implementation of projects to establish modern irrigation systems in the farmlands of the province at 330 billion rials (about $702,000) in the previous year.

According to the project manager of Iranian Agriculture Ministry’s smart irrigation systems development program, the purpose of implementing this plan is to increase the productivity and sustainability of water and soil resources in the country to ensure the sustainable production of agricultural products.

Fariborz Abbasi, who is the head of the Agriculture Ministry’s Water and Soil Department, has said in smart agriculture human intervention in irrigation management and planning is minimized by using new technologies,” he explained.

Over the past four 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, the official has stated.

The Agriculture Ministry is also taking the necessary measures for supporting the domestic manufacturing of equipment used in these systems.

MA