About 83,000 hectares of land are under organic crop cultivation in Iran, including 38,000 hectares of natural terrain, Mehr News Agency quoted head of Iran Organic Association Reza Nourani as saying. Rice, tomatoes, grapes, tea, kiwis, pomegranates, apples and medicinal herbs are among the organically produced crops in the country, he added. He called on the government to allocate subsidies for organic agriculture, noting that many countries have developed infrastructure for organic farming over the past decade. Organic farming uses methods such as crop rotation, manure, compost and biological pest control. Only natural fertilizers and pesticides such as bone meal from animals are used in organic agriculture.
