According to Sugarcane & By-Products Development Co. PR report, Dr. Naseri stated: The Sugarcane Development Co. has operated in areas that are approximately 3-17 km from the Karun River and due to several centuries of surface soil erosion and severe evapotranspiration and also due to the low rainfall for land washing and lack of natural drainage capacity, the soil of the area has become very saline, which salinity has been increasing due to the high level of groundwater, and that placed 90% of the company’s territory in grades 4 to 6, which are among the unusable soils for cultivation.
He continued: Severe salinity, alkalinity and EC limits of about 70-60 thousand micromoles per centimeter were the characteristics of the project lands and no agricultural activities were carried out in them. After 18,000 km of lateralization (PVC mesh pipes with a diameter of 100-160 mm) and 800 km of cement pipes (collectors) with a diameter of 100-300 mm at a depth of two and a half or five meters, that caused the groundwater level to drop to a depth of about 2 meters and while performing the leaching operation, by arranging the proper ventilation, prepare the lands for any type of cultivation.
The CEO of Sugarcane Development Co. explained: With the cultivation of sugarcane and the cultivation of about 70,000 hectares of these saline and barren lands, a green area (Stem and leaf surface) equivalent to 6 to 8 times the area under sugarcane cultivation (about five hundred thousand hectares), was created. It was found that this level has the ability to absorb one million and eighty thousand tons of carbon dioxide and produce and emit 786 thousand tons of oxygen and has a significant role in softening the air in the region, of course, the minimum and maximum temperature statistics can confirm this.
Because of the importance of soil in the life of living organisms, governments are implementing various initiatives to preserve it, and every year the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) celebrates World Soil Day on December 5th. In this regard, the celebration of World Soil Day with the slogan “Emphasis on preventing salinity and increasing soil productivity” will be held in the presence of national officials on December 5th this year at the Tehran International Fair.