“Around 761.9 hectares of these greenhouses were expanded and the remaining 714.1 hectares were newly-built and launched,” Mohammad Ali Tahmasebi was also quoted as saying by ILNA.
The official noted that the government has planned the establishment and expansion of 4,600 hectares of greenhouses to be built and expanded by the end of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2021), of which more than 32% of this goal have been materialized.
“Ardabil with 178.1 hectares, Kerman with 171.6 hectares, East Azarbaijan with 163.4 hectares, Isfahan with 146.9 hectares, Hormozgan with 144.2 million and Tehran with 136.1 hectares are the top six provinces where greenhouse projects have so far come to fruition this year,” he said.
Agriculture Minister Kazem Khavazi told IRIB News that greenhouse area in Iran has increased from 8,800 hectares in the fiscal 2013-14 when President Hassan Rouhani first took office to around 18,000 hectares at present, adding that these facilities can offer significant help in creating jobs, increasing exports and granting food security.
The Agriculture Ministry plans to transfer all vegetable farms to greenhouses to save 10 billion cubic meters of water per year.
The construction of Iran’s largest greenhouse complex began earlier this year on 100 hectares of land in North Khorasan Province’s Shirvan Country.
A ground-breaking ceremony in May was attended by Agriculture Minister Kazem Khavazi, North Khorasan Governor General Mohammad Ali Shojaei and Abdolreza Azizi, the head of Majlis Social Commission and MP representing Shirvan.
A total of 4 trillion rials ($16 million) will be invested in this project.