EghtesadOnline: A total of 120,000 tons of cotton bolls have been harvested from around 97,500 hectares of plantations across the country so far this year, some 100,000 tons of which have already made it to cotton refinery factories, an Agriculture Ministry official said.

EghtesadOnline: A total of 200,000 tons of cotton bolls are estimated to be produced in Iran during the current Iranian year that started on March 21.

EghtesadOnline: Iran’s spinning factories are operating at full capacity, as the capacity of cotton mills increased by 47,000-48,000 tons last fiscal year (March 2019-20), the director general of the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade’s Textile and Clothing Department said.

EghtesadOnline: Cotton is set to be the first genetically-modified crop authorized for cultivation in Iran. Earlier in the current Iranian year (started March 21), the National Biosafety Council, chaired by First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri, approved the "release" of genetically-modified cotton, as biotechnologists put it, after it is approved by responsible bodies, including the ministries of agriculture and health.

EghtesadOnline: A total of 280,000 tons of cotton bolls are expected to be produced in Iran during the current Iranian year that started on March 20, according to an Agriculture Ministry official, Ebrahim Hezarjaribi.

EghtesadOnline: Cotton boll production is estimated to reach 260,000 tons in the current Iranian year (started March 20), from which about 80,000 tons of refined cotton are expected to be produced.

EghtesadOnline: Dr. Hossein Shirzad said that the full implementation of the cotton plan, the transfer of all four factories in the country to the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Cotton and Oilseeds, financial assistance and investment in the cotton sector and timely financial security with the development of new markets should be operational.

EghtesadOnline: Domestic demand for cotton stands at 120,000 to 130,000 tons per year in Iran and between 60,000 and 65,000 tons of which are expected to be produced domestically in the current fiscal year (started March 21).

EghtesadOnline: Cotton boll production is estimated to reach 180,000 tons in the current Iranian year (started March 21), from which about 60,000 tons of refined cotton are expected to be produced.