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How Rouhani Has Demolished Iran’s Agricultue

2017-02-16-033323

NCRI – In protest against lowering tariffs on imported rice, Mehrdad Lahouti, Iranian regime’s MP from Langarud, said that “this means the land-use of nearly 3000 hectares of rice fields will be changed. People! Farmers! I’m telling you, no one in this country is thinking of you. Everyone is seeking their own interests. You go change the land-use of your farmlands.”

Meanwhile, Parliament’s Deputy Speaker ‘Ali Motahari’ reacted to Lahouti’s remarks, calling them harsh statements which are going to provoke farmers (Radio Farhang, February 12)

Regardless of the clashes and conflicts within the regime, over power and plundering Iranian people’s property, the fact is that Iran’s agriculture is heading towards destruction.

Gonabad’s agriculture is subject to serious damage, with nearly 1000 hectares of its pistachio gardens close to destruction (regime’s IRIB, January 11)

Production of silk thread in Gilan province is disappearing, so that according to regime’s representative from Langarud, “silk thread production is down to 100 tons from a previous 1000. Nearly 3000 hectares of rice fields, 7000 hectares of tea gardens, and 4000 hectares of mulberry gardens have changed their land-use.” (Khane-Mellat news agency, February 6)

Also agricultural activities in eastern Hormozgan province is moving towards destruction. According to a state-run local website named ‘Makran’, “Hormozgan’s agriculture is abandoned with no one being responsible.” (‘Makran.ir’ website, January 10)

Meanwhile, another local website named ‘Behbahanema’ reports on the countdown to the destruction of Behbahan’s agriculture, as with a storage dam due to be built and the river water transferred to it, nearly 43 thousand hectares of fertile farmlands in Hendijan, Behbahan, and Omidieh will be completely destroyed (‘Behbahanema’, September 8, 2016)

The state-run ‘Alef’ website quotes regime’s representative from Asadabad as saying that “country’s agriculture is disappearing. The situation is such that our agriculture is moving towards destruction while inefficient, incapable provincial officials don’t understand the farmers’ situation.” ( Alef website, October 25, 2016)

Also regime’s MP from ‘Sowme’eh Sara’ says that “Gilan’s agriculture is threatened with destruction. Considering the huge amount of farmers’ expenditures and efforts, they’re not able to handle their life with what they earn. Regarding the silk thread production and planting mulberry trees, the area under cultivation is down to 4000 hectares from a previous 12000 in recent years.” (Kayhan newspaper, June 28, 2016)

Of 51 million hectares of country’s arable lands, only 15,65 millions are currently under cultivation, with two third of them being abandoned due to regime’s anti-people policies.

The main reason for this is on one hand the lack of support for farmers due to an anti-people regime, and excessive import of agricultural products with lowered tariffs by regime’s affiliated traders on the other, which is a fatal blow to the body of Iran’s agriculture.

Excessive import of low-quality rice from foreign countries has brought misery to Mazandaran’s rice farmers, so that they are no longer willing to plant rice, with many of them changing the land-use of their rice fields. This is despite the fact that the province is Iran’s major agricultural and rice farming hub, so that with 2400 hectares of rice fields it produces 950 thousand tons of rice each year, accounting for 44 percent of country’s demand.

A large amount of citrus is imported to the country each year, while products of Iranian fruit growers are rotting on trees.

Considering the strategic importance of supplying food products, the agricultural sector is particularly supported by the governments across the world, both in terms of subsides and tariffs, to make sure the imported food and agricultural products are not going to hurt domestic production. Mullahs’ regime, however, has adopted a completely reverse policy, so that the farmers are not only not supported by the government, but there’s an excessive import of agricultural products with lowered tariffs.

Currently, only 51 percent of country’s rural population who have not yet migrated to cities are involved in agricultural activities.

Despite this situation, Rouhani’s government passed a legislation on January 14, according to which import tariffs for eight basic commodities were reduced from five to 55 percent.

It’s quite clear that with this directive, huge, astronomical profits will pour into regime’s affiliated traders, whereas Iranian deprived farmers will suffer yet more poverty and hunger.