Request for Assistance in Implementing Raisi's Plan; Planting One Billion Trees Costs 18 Trillion Tomans

The National Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization announced that the plan to plant one billion trees, "which was proposed by Ebrahim Raisi on March 6 last year," will cost at least 18 trillion tomans, and people, industries, and various agencies must assist the government in implementing this plan. Abbasali Nobakht, Deputy Minister of Agricultural Jihad, stated: "Allocating 250 billion tomans in the budget for the one billion tree planting plan is a trivial amount, and if industries and the private sector do not help, this plan will not be feasible." He noted that the costs of producing, planting, and maintaining trees vary based on conditions, adding: "In the implementation of the one billion tree planting plan, 20% of the work is related to seedling production and transfer, 10% to planting, and 70% to maintenance." On March 6, 2023, coinciding with Tree Planting Day, the President of the 13th government planted a tree and promised to plant one billion new trees in Iran by the end of his presidency. The Minister of Agricultural Jihad of the 13th government confirmed his plan that day, announcing the launch of a campaign to plant one billion saplings in the country over four years, stating that 250 million saplings are to be planted annually. Following the Minister's announcement regarding the planting of 250 million trees per year, the project manager for the "one billion tree planting in the country" stated: "Over the past 20 years, the average annual production of seedlings in the country has been 17 million saplings, which is expected to increase to 250 million saplings per year with this plan." However, experts consider this plan unrealistic and unfeasible, pointing to the geographical and financial realities of Iran. Roozbeh Eskandari, a water resources expert, pointed out Iran's water and soil limitations to Voice of America, stating: "The annual water consumption in Iran's domestic, industrial, and agricultural sectors is about 100 billion cubic meters, and Iran's aquifers have a deficit of about 136 billion cubic meters, indicating the country's water bankruptcy." He added that due to the unintegrated environmental management in Iran and its distance from sustainable development discussions, "planting one billion saplings would require about 4 million hectares of land and more than 12% of the country's annual water consumption, which the Islamic Republic cannot provide."