Tehran -- Deputy Agriculture Jihad Minister for Horticultural Affairs, Mohammad Ali Tahmasbi said here on Saturday that his ministry is determined to solve the ongoing crisis facing mechanized farming.

Tahmasbi told the first seminar and exhibition of Iran's Farming Machinery and Tools Production that Agricultural Jihad Ministry plans to mechanize farming so as to update the farming technology.

He regretted that no basic measure has so far been adopted to mechanize farming in Iran. Elsewhere in his remarks, Tahmasbi said there are 1,725 varieties of plants in Iran, 400 of which have medicinal value. He said $500 million to $600 million is annually spent on import of medicinal substances.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of Farming Machinery and Tools Development Center, Mohsen Movahedian, told the seminar that $30 million in credit has been set aside this year for the purchase of 2,000 heavy-duty tractors, reported IRNA.