Ali Bagheri, head of the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Northern Kerman Province, announced that electricity imbalances and frequent blackouts have caused severe damage to 60% of orchard lands and 14% of farmland in the province.
According to the state-run ILNA news agency, Bagheri estimated the total damage to the agricultural sector in northern Kerman caused by electricity imbalances at approximately 12,300 billion rials (about 140.64 million dollars). He stated, “Around 127,000 farmers have suffered losses due to this situation, and if this trend continues, the future of the province’s agriculture could face a serious crisis.”
This government official also noted that the greenhouse sector in northern Kerman has suffered a 24% loss. He added, “The blackouts have not only damaged agricultural and orchard products but have also disrupted the power supply to 8% of livestock and poultry farms.”
Ahmad Ahmadpour, head of the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Southern Kerman, also told ILNA that power imbalances have inflicted over 20,000 billion rials (about 23.8 million dollars) in damages to the agricultural sector in the southern part of the province.
He emphasized, “A significant portion of agriculture in southern Kerman relies on electric water wells, but prolonged power outages have disrupted irrigation processes and destroyed many crops.”
According to this report, 152 motor pumps of agricultural wells have burned out in southern Kerman.
Additionally, 60,000 tons of citrus fruits have been damaged due to delayed irrigation, and date production has decreased by 21,000 tons.
The report further states that Kerman farmers, who rely on electricity for irrigation, have been severely affected by 10- to 12-hour power outages during the critical planting season.
A citrus farmer from southern Kerman said, “We wake up every day worrying whether we will have electricity or not. If there is no electricity, water won’t reach the trees, and our crops will be ruined. Last year, we harvested 40 tons per hectare, but this year, we won’t even reach 20 tons.”
A livestock farmer from northern Kerman also spoke about the problems caused by power outages in dairy farming: “Industrial milking machines depend on electricity, and when the power goes out, we cannot milk the cows on time. This leads to reduced milk production and, in some cases, illness in the animals. The losses we have suffered are irreparable.”
Experts have warned that if this trend continues, the decline of the agricultural industry will be inevitable, and thousands of farmers will lose their jobs.
