$21m in Aid to Frost-Stricken Farmers

EghtesadOnline: The government will grant 800 billion rials (over $21 million) in aid to farmers whose orchards were damaged in Mazandaran by frost last November, the head of the northern Iranian province’s Agricultural Jihad Organization said.

News ID: ۷۷۴۱۰۴

21 February 2017

“Farmers will receive the grant before the yearend (March 20). Between 250,000 and 300,000 tons of oranges and about 90,000 tons of kiwis were lost,” Delavar Heydarpour was quoted as saying by IRNA. “About 80,000 hectares of farms were affected by the frost, while only 6,000 to 7,000 hectares or around 8% of these farms were insured.” According to Mazandaran Governor Rabi’ Fallah, the extreme cold caused 9.4 trillion rials (over $240 million) in damages to orchards in the province. More than 110,000 hectares of land go under the cultivation of citrus fruit in Mazandaran, which meet nearly 50% of domestic demand, Financial Tribune reported.