Rice Cultivation on 8,000 Hectares of Paddy Fields in East Azerbaijan

Miyaneh – Deputy for Crop Production Improvement at East Azerbaijan Agricultural Jihad Organization announced the allocation of a cropping pattern for nearly 8,000 hectares of rice in the province, saying more than 70 percent of this pattern is concentrated in Miyaneh.

According to Mehr reporter, Sadegh Naderi said on Wednesday evening at the rice harvest thanksgiving celebration in Mianeh city, referring to the efforts made to stabilize the cultivation level of this product, he stated: In the past years, rice cultivation outside the northern provinces faced limitations, but by submitting expert documentation to the Ministry of Jihad Agriculture, the model of cultivating nearly 8 thousand hectares of rice for East Azerbaijan was accepted.

Emphasizing the historical and cultural position of rice in the middle of the country, he added: the product produced in this city is of good quality and can compete with the rice produced in the northern provinces. Due to the water-consuming nature of this product, compliance with the cultivation pattern, management of water resources and the use of new production methods should be given serious attention.

Referring to the necessity of supporting the rice farmers, Naderi stated: We have the follow-up of insurance coverage of the rice crop on the agenda and we are trying to make this issue come to a conclusion. Also, developing the use of new varieties of rice, taking advantage of the latest findings of the Rice Research Institute and using the capacity of leading farmers are among the organization's plans to increase productivity and improve the quality of production.

The vice president of plant production improvement of the East Azerbaijan Agricultural Jihad organization, inviting investors to participate in the middle rice value chain, noted that the development of transformation and complementary industries can provide the basis for more economic exploitation of the capacities of this product. As a source of silica, rice straw and stubble has various uses, and rice bran has significant capacities for processing and producing value-added products. Hence, investing in rice side industries can create new economic opportunities for the region.

He further considered the certification of agricultural products and production units as one of the important priorities of the agricultural sector and said: East Azerbaijan has performed significantly in this area and is one of the top provinces of the country, and the city of Miane alone has accounted for 50% of the performance of the province in this field, which deserves recognition.

Naderi added: The certification of agricultural products will provide consumers with access to detailed information on the producer and production conditions, and will help to identify well-established producers, increase transparency, and strengthen trust in the market.

In another part of his speech, referring to the increase in production costs in the agricultural sector, he said: the increase in the price of inputs and raw materials, along with the consequences of the Ramadan war, the 40-day war, sanctions, naval blockade, and some cases determined in the 1405 budget, such as the increase in customs fees, have increased the cost of producing agricultural products. Therefore, checking the price of agricultural products should be done by considering the real production costs and the economic conditions of the producers.

The vice president of plant production improvement of the East Azerbaijan Agricultural Jihad Organization emphasized: the producers of the agricultural sector supply their products with a limited profit margin and it is not possible to expect the price of the products to remain constant regardless of the change in the cost of inputs and other factors affecting production. Supporting the producer and paying attention to the sustainability of production, along with meeting the needs of consumers, should be taken into consideration at the same time.