Only 37% of Iran’s Arable Land Under Cultivation

From Iran’s total area of 165 million hectares, 50 million hectares are arable, provided there is enough water. 
However, in view of the severe water crisis facing the country, only 18.5 million hectares of land (37% of arable land) have gone under the cultivation of different crops, the head of Iranian Soil Science Association said.
“Close to 8.5 million hectares of the total land under cultivation are irrigated and the rest are rain-fed. Due to the water shortage, nearly 32 million hectares of arable land are not cultivated,” Manouchehr Gorji was also quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
The official added that soil erosion in Iran amounts to 16 tons per hectare, which is way above the global average of 6 tons per hectare.