Iran Cotton Production Expected to Increase 10% This Year
Both figures show more than a 10% increase compared with the previous year, the CEO of Iran Cotton Fund said.
“We are able to meet 50% of domestic demand for cotton, which stands at around 120,000 tons per annum. The rest is imported, and that, not just in the form of cotton. We also import threads and textiles as well. We import from Uzbekistan, which has high-quality cotton, as well as India and China for the most part,” Hossein Kaviyani was also quoted as saying by Mizan Online.
According to the official, cotton cultivation started around mid-April this year, according to Financial Tribune.
A deputy agriculture minister said last month that land under cotton cultivation would increase by 20% to stand at more than 80,000 hectares this year.
“Cotton cultivation can create six times more jobs than wheat, four times as many as corn and colza, and 2.5 times as many as soybean production. Each job generated in a cotton plantation indirectly leads to the creation of five jobs in related industries and services,” Hossein Shirzad was quoted as saying by IRNA.
“The Ministry of Agriculture plans to achieve self-sufficiency in cotton production by 2025,” Ebrahim Hezarjaribi, the manager of Cotton Project implemented by the Agriculture Ministry, was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency last year.
Iran has the capacity to increase cotton production, but the low price of cotton compared with other agricultural products discourages farmers from embarking upon cotton cultivation.