Iran strikes preliminary extra-terrestrial farming deals on 1.7m hectares, minister says
Iran’s Agriculture Minister Gholamreza Nouri Qezeljeh said on Wednesday that the ministry has reached preliminary agreements for extra-terrestrial farming on about 1.7 million hectares of land in Russia, Kenya and Tanzania.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Nouri Qezeljeh said, “In extra-terrestrial cultivation, preliminary agreements have been reached for about 200,000 hectares in Russia, 500,000 hectares in Kenya and 1 million hectares in Tanzania,” IRNA reported.
He added that the executive guideline for overseas agriculture has been uploaded to the government portal, a move aimed at facilitating the implementation of the policy.
Iran has introduced major plans to boost its agricultural output in recent years as it strives to keep pace with rising food demand.
The country has a population of more than 86 million people and a rising demand for food.
According to an official in the ministry, Iran has set a target to expand its overseas farming to two million hectares by 2029.
In November, Reza Fotouhi, who leads overseas farming projects in the ministry, said that lands used for corn farming in Brazil by Iranian companies had reached 50,000 hectares, adding that the country is also engaged in overseas farming of barley, oil seeds, and soybean in Kazakhstan and also in smaller projects in Belarus and Russia.
He said private Iranian companies have also launched extra-terrestrial farming projects in Ghana, Armenia, and Pakistan.
Performance in fisheries sector
On the ministry’s performance in the fisheries sector, an assessment of achievements aligned with the development of the maritime-based economy showed strong growth, Nouri Qezeljeh said.
“We have seen about 30% growth in fisheries and fishing — from shrimp farming to distant-water fishing and aquaculture — which shows the high capacity in this field,” he said.
“In this regard, investments are being directed toward infrastructure so that we can make maximum use of this God-given potential and the opportunities available in our land and surrounding waters,” he added.