Tehran - Iran is preparing to introduce research-based crop management packages to boost farm productivity, narrow yield gaps and help farmers apply the latest scientific findings, with wheat, barley and autumn-sown sugar beet among the priority crops.

Gholamreza Golmohammadi, deputy agriculture minister and head of the Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), said crop-specific guidelines tailored to regional conditions would be provided to provincial agricultural authorities.

The initiative builds on model farms established for rice, cotton and corn and will expand to autumn-sown crops, including wheat, barley and rapeseed. Preliminary results show that rice yields on participating farms have increased by around 20%, he said.

“A separate knowledge-transfer program for potato cultivation is underway across three provinces, six counties and 110 farms, using technical packages developed by AREEO.”

Golmohammadi also announced plans to allocate 12 trillion rials to programs supporting rural and nomadic women under an agreement with a presidential office.

 

The initiative will promote training, skills development and agricultural extension, including activities in native chicken egg production, sericulture and beekeeping.

He called on provincial officials to help implement the programs.