![\"2017-02-16-033323\"](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/02\/2017-02-16-033323.jpg\" "\\"2017-02-16-033323\\"")
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NCRI –\u00a0In protest against lowering tariffs on imported rice, Mehrdad Lahouti, Iranian regime\u2019s MP from Langarud, said that \u201cthis means the land-use of nearly 3000 hectares of rice fields will be changed. People! Farmers! I\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Parliament\u2019s Deputy Speaker \u2018Ali Motahari\u2019 reacted to Lahouti\u2019s remarks, calling them harsh statements which are going to provoke farmers (Radio Farhang, February 12)<\/p>\n
Regardless of the clashes and conflicts within the regime, over power and plundering Iranian people\u2019s property, the fact is that Iran\u2019s agriculture is heading towards destruction.<\/p>\n
Gonabad\u2019s agriculture is subject to serious damage, with nearly 1000 hectares of its pistachio gardens close to destruction (regime\u2019s IRIB, January 11)<\/p>\n
Production of silk thread in Gilan province is disappearing, so that according to regime\u2019s representative from Langarud, \u201csilk 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.\u201d (Khane-Mellat news agency, February 6)<\/p>\n
Also agricultural activities in eastern Hormozgan province is moving towards destruction. According to a state-run local website named \u2018Makran\u2019, \u201cHormozgan\u2019s agriculture is abandoned with no one being responsible.\u201d (\u2018Makran.ir\u2019 website, January 10)<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, another local website named \u2018Behbahanema\u2019 reports on the countdown to the destruction of Behbahan\u2019s 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 (\u2018Behbahanema\u2019, September 8, 2016)<\/p>\n
The state-run \u2018Alef\u2019 website quotes regime\u2019s representative from Asadabad as saying that \u201ccountry\u2019s agriculture is disappearing. The situation is such that our agriculture is moving towards destruction while inefficient, incapable provincial officials don\u2019t understand the farmers\u2019 situation.\u201d ( Alef website, October 25, 2016)<\/p>\n
Also regime\u2019s MP from \u2018Sowme\u2019eh Sara\u2019 says that \u201cGilan\u2019s agriculture is threatened with destruction. Considering the huge amount of farmers\u2019 expenditures and efforts, they\u2019re 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.\u201d (Kayhan newspaper, June 28, 2016)<\/p>\n
Of 51 million hectares of country\u2019s arable lands, only 15,65 millions are currently under cultivation, with two third of them being abandoned due to regime\u2019s anti-people policies.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s affiliated traders on the other, which is a fatal blow to the body of Iran\u2019s agriculture.<\/p>\n
Excessive import of low-quality rice from foreign countries has brought misery to Mazandaran\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s demand.<\/p>\n
A large amount of citrus is imported to the country each year, while products of Iranian fruit growers are rotting on trees.<\/p>\n
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\u2019 regime, however, has adopted a completely reverse policy, so that the farmers are not only not supported by the government, but there\u2019s an excessive import of agricultural products with lowered tariffs.<\/p>\n
Currently, only 51 percent of country\u2019s rural population who have not yet migrated to cities are involved in agricultural activities.<\/p>\n
Despite this situation, Rouhani\u2019s government passed a legislation on January 14, according to which import tariffs for eight basic commodities were reduced from five to 55 percent.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s quite clear that with this directive, huge, astronomical profits will pour into regime\u2019s affiliated traders, whereas Iranian deprived farmers will suffer yet more poverty and hunger.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":48110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[175],"class_list":{"0":"post-22173","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-updated"},"yoast_head":"\n