A top official from the agriculture ministry has dismissed reports suggesting that 92 percent of water supplies are used in the agriculture sector, describing them as misleading for the public as the government sets new agricultural policies. In his address to a seminar held to mark the national day of statistics and planning, deputy agriculture minister Abdolmahdi Bakhshandeh called for application of modern methodologies when it comes to gathering statistics, calling the old methods ineffective. “Incorrect statistics increase erratic decision making and inconsistent planning,” he asserted. “It’s not clear where the media get their data that says water consumption in agriculture amounts to 88 billion cubic meters. This is scientifically baseless.” Bakhshandeh added that over the past few years, no precise agriculture–related statistics have been produced. “For example, back in 2007, the then-agriculture minister said the level of wheat production was satisfactory and that Iran could soon become an exporter of the product. However, Iran is still an importer of wheat eight years later.” “There are no exact statistics on the total area under cultivation; however, it is estimated that 8.7 million hectares out of 17 million hectares of total cultivated land is irrigated”, Bakhshandeh said.
