Iran to use satellite imaging system to monitor key crops

Iran’s telecoms ministry says it is working on a modern satellite imaging system that would enable the government to have a clear estimate about the cultivation area across the country for key crops .

The official IRNA news agency said in a Sunday report that the new crop mapping system is part of a general government plan to modernize Iran’s vast agriculture sector.

It said the system would be a serious boost to agriculture planning in Iran as it provides accurate data on cultivation area and expected yield for key crops like wheat and rice.

The remote analysis system also has the potential to assess soil moisture, allowing farmers to have a clear estimate of the water needs for crops.

The report did not provide any timetable for the rollout of the system. However, a video published by the telecoms ministry on Saturday suggested that the government would have satellite imaging working in the very near future.

Iran’s strong agriculture sector has become a major contributor to the general economy in recent years. Encouraged by rising exports and better weather conditions, farmers have expanded cultivation area for various products, helping the sector to grow by nearly 10 percent in the calendar year ending March 2020.

The government has introduced more use of technology in farming in recent years, including the increased mechanization that cuts costs and raise yields.

IRNA said deploying crop mapping in Iran would enables the so-called “precision farming”, giving information to farmers about how much they should apply seeds, fertilizer or pesticide to their fields.