Only 2.05 percent of Yemen land 'arable'

Sana'a, June 06 (Saba) - Only 2.05 percent of Yemen's land is arable
while abandoned land represents about 85 percent, the Ministry of
Planning and International Cooperation has said.

About 933658 hectares out of a total of 45.550.246 hectares in the
country as whole can naturally and artificially be used, the
Ministry's Central Statistics Center said.

In a 2007 book on land in the country, the center estimated
38.917.985 hectares, about 85 percent of the whole Yemeni land, as
unarabel due to many natural impediments.

Unarable land due to water slides represents 70608 hectares, 11.13
percent, unfit lands due to wind slides represent 578189 hectares,
1.27 percent, chemically unarable due to high salting represents
37089 hectares, .08 percent, and physically unfit land due to solid
land surface represents 12717 hectares, .03 percent of land in
Yemen.

According to the edition, of the used land in Yemen about 753 002
hectares were rain-irrigated, 453.616 well-irrigated hectares,
147.602 flood-irrigated hectares, 29492 valley-irrigated hectares,
86599 dam-irrigated hectares, 14177 hectares irrigated by water
transported by trucks and 543 hectares irrigated by other resources.

In 2007, hectares planted to crops topped the used land in Yemen
with 890612 hectares growing various crops.

And while 52992 hectares were planted to peens, land planted to
vegetables was estimated as 147.007 hectares.

Cash-generating plants covered 83373 hectares, fruits covered 87781
hectares and Qat trees covered 141163 hectares.

FR