Threefold Rise in Mazandaran Citrus Insurance

Around 12,300 hectares of citrus fruit orchards in Mazandaran have been insured in the current Iranian year (started March 21), registering a threefold increase compared with last year when early frost caused extensive damage to citrus trees in the northern province.

“Last year’s frost destroyed over 50% of the citrus fruits before harvest, and farmers incurred losses amounting to 6 trillion rials ($148.15 million),” the head of Mazandaran Agricultural Products Insurance Fund, Hamid Razavinia, was quoted as saying by IRNA.

Delavar Heydarpour, the head of Mazandaran Agricultural Jihad Organization, said last year about 80,000 hectares of farms were affected by the frost, noting that only 6,000 to 7,000 hectares or around 8% of these farms were insured.

More than 110,000 hectares of land go under the cultivation of citrus fruit in Mazandaran, which meet nearly 50% of domestic demand.

The government pays 78% of the farmers’ insurance premium as subsidy.