Reduction of sesame cultivation in Fars

Reduction of sesame cultivation in Fars

Fars province is the largest producer of sesame in the country with the production of 7,800 tons of sesame oil seeds in the area under cultivation of 6,500 hectares.
Rashidi, an oilseed expert from Fars Jihad-e-Keshavarzi, said: This year, 6,500 hectares of the province’s land have been planted with sesame, which is less than the 8,566 hectares planted last year.
He continued: Increasing the price of fuel and diesel, reducing the water resources of the province and increasing the seed rate from 2,240 tomans to 3,500 tomans in the past year are the factors reducing the area under sesame cultivation in Fars.
Rashidi said: Replacing high-yielding and improved cultivars resistant to water shortage, mechanized harvesting, increasing mechanized cultivation, are measures that have been taken to increase production and reduce costs.
The cities of Lar, Lamerd, Mehr, Khanj, Farashband and Qir and Karzin have the highest production of Persian sesame, whose product is used for oiling, confectionery and other food industries in Fars province and outside the province. Sesame is a very valuable food source.
In addition, it is a very good source of manganese and copper.
It is also a valuable source of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc and dietary fiber. It lowers blood cholesterol in humans, protects liver cells from oxidative damage, prevents high blood pressure and increases vitamin E storage in animals. One of the properties of this seed is oil. Sesame plant is thermophilic and a special product of tropical and subtropical regions that need warm air and plenty of light and is cultivated in the southern regions of Fars province.