A total of 400,000 tons of agricultural products cultivated in greenhouses were exported from Yazd during the last Iranian year (March 2019-20), which accounted for 70% of total greenhouse production in the central Iranian province.
“Our main export destinations were Russia, Iraq and the littoral countries of Persian Gulf,” the head of Yazd Agricultural Organization, Jamal Sajjadipour, was quoted as saying by IRNA.
According to Akbar Sheikh-Alishahi, the head of the same organization’s Horticultural Bureau, local greenhouse agricultural production in Yazd currently stands at 542,000 tons.
"In the fiscal 2013-14 when Hassan Rouhani first took office as Iran's president, the figure stood close to 340,000 tons," he said.
The official also noted that Yazd has a 22% share of Iran's greenhouse production.
“Greenhouse area in Yazd is currently at 1,900 hectares, marking a 63.8% increase compared with 2013-14. We plan to increase the figure to 2,000 hectares by the [fiscal] yearend [March 20, 2021],” he said.
Sheikh-Alishahi added that greenhouses in Yazd have created 6,000 jobs for the locals.
The city of Yazd, the capital of the province, has a hot desert climate. It is the driest major city in Iran, with a yearly precipitation of 49 millimeters and only 23 days of precipitation, with summer temperatures very frequently above 40°C with no humidity. In the winter, days remain mild and sunny, but in the morning, thin air and low cloudiness cause cold temperatures that can sometimes fall below 0°C.
Agriculture Minister Kazem Khavazi has told the news portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting that the overall greenhouse area in Iran has increased from 8,800 hectares in the fiscal 2013-14 to around 18,000 hectares, adding that these facilities can create a significant number of jobs, increase exports and grant food security.
The Agriculture Ministry plans to transfer all vegetable farms to greenhouses to save 10 billion cubic meters of water per year.
A total of 1,476 hectares of greenhouses were built or expanded across Iran during the first five months of the current Iranian year (March 20-Aug. 21), according to the deputy minister of agriculture for horticultural affairs.
“Around 761.9 hectares of these greenhouses were expanded and the remaining 714.1 hectares were newly-built and launched,” Mohammad Ali Tahmasebi was quoted as saying by ILNA.
The official noted that the government has planned to build or expand 4,600 hectares of greenhouses by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2021), more than 32% of which have been materialized.
“Ardabil with 178.1 hectares, Kerman with 171.6 hectares, East Azarbaijan with 163.4 hectares, Isfahan with 146.9 hectares, Hormozgan with 144.2 million and Tehran with 136.1 hectares are the top six provinces where greenhouse projects have so far come to fruition this year,” he said.
A major hydroponic greenhouse complex was inaugurated in Aras Free Trade Zone last week, which is said to be the biggest in the Middle East.
Describing it as "one of the most important agricultural projects in Iran", Secretary of the High Council of Free Trade Zones Morteza Bank said the greenhouse is spread over 80 hectares and equipped with state-of the-art technology.
Russia is said to be the main destination of crops produced in this complex, ILNA reported.
