cottonseed production in Iran
Iran has become self-sufficient in producing cottonseed and can even export it, an official says.
“We have produced the cottonseed ourselves and even have the ability to export it to other countries,” said Ghorban Ali Roshani, Head of the Cotton Research Institute of Iran (CRI) on Wednesday.
He added that the private sector, as well as Iranian researchers and scientists, have commercialized 12 cotton varieties that can be cultivated in farms.
The research institute produces one new cotton variety every eight months, according to the official who believes a rise in new cotton varieties can lead to further employment.
Cotton has been cultivated in more than 70,000 hectares of land across Iran this year. North-eastern Razavi Khorasan, northern Golestan and southern Fars provinces are the main cotton producers in the country, according to Roshani.
Golestan Province enjoys perfect conditions for growing cotton due to adequate rainfall and humidity, turning it into the first cotton producer. It was once called Land of the White Gold in Iran.