Deputy Energy Minister Rahim Meydani says Iran must put an end to policies that promote water-intensive yet low-value agricultural products because “the country’s development won’t occur through agriculture.” Using water for industrial purposes will not only generate more jobs, it will contribute to higher added value, he said. “We need to improve productivity in agriculture as it is the only way to resolve the water crisis,” ISNA quoted him as saying. The call comes at a time when the agriculture sector helped Iran from falling back into recession in the last fiscal year that ended in March, with a 5.4% rise in output. The Agriculture Ministry says production will reach 117 million tons by the end of the current fiscal year.
