The first phase of a plan to revive 550,000 hectares of land in border provinces of Khuzestan and Ilam was launched on Tuesday.
Completed at a cost of $1.5 billion, the first phase covers 295,000 hectares of agricultural land, 90% of which are located in Khuzestan in the southwest and the remaining 10% in Ilam, Iribnews.ir reported.
“Salty soil and increase in water evaporation, due to the hot weather, have reduced the productivity of farms in Khuzestan in recent years,” Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati said.
“In the past, 1.2 tons of wheat per hectare were harvested in the region, which will increase to up to 6 tons with the first phase of the project now operational,” he said.
"This will save about 800 million cubic meters of water used in the agriculture sector."
The project included installing outdoor drainage system and water supply canals, as well as equipping and modernizing agricultural facilities.
After work on the whole 550,000 hectares of land is over, the plan will increase Khuzestan's agricultural capacity significantly and create 350,000 direct and indirect employment.
