Mostafa Hamidi said the Kaniwa harvest was started from agricultural landa with the Golestan university consultation.

Director of the Center for Specialty Medicinal Herbs of Golestan University said: this year, 2 hectares of agricultural land in Gorgan and Kurdistan provinces have been cultivated by Kaniwa under the guidance of Golestan Jihad Experts.

He added that Kaniwa cultivation has been fully mechanized since March last year, and harvested from the day after the harvest began.

Hamidi continued on the characteristics of the Kaniwa plant, said Kaniwa is an organic bioactive vegetable and is considered to be pseudo-cereal. This plant is the main source of protein, iron and fiber and its protein is twice as common in rice.

Referring to the fact that this plant is native to Peru, Chile and Bolivia, he added: Kaniwa is used in South and North America as a major dish. The FAO has compared its nutritional value with dry milk.

Referring to the fact that Kaniwa is known as vegetarian caviar in the world, Hamidi noted that the plant is used to enrich flour, pasta and biscuits. Kaniwa has the ability to replace many foods because of its high nutritional value.

He stated that the plant tolerates high salinity and dryness, said: Kaniwa has the ability to be cultivated in wastelands and is therefore susceptible to cultivation in the northern lands of the province.

Director of the Center for Herb Medicine, Golestan University Jihad, said about the cultivation period of the plant: According to various cultivars, Kaniwa cultivation is between 85 and 170 days.

“The amount of water needed for kaniwa cultivation is one-fourth of rice,” Hamidi said, claiming that the plant needs low water.

Director of the Center for Herbal Medicine at Golestan University of Medical Sciences said that patients with celiac disease who are suffering from gastro-intestinal wheat can replace wheat with Kaniwa.

He said the Kaniwa cultivation in the country has begun in recent years, and by developing a culture about the benefits of using this plant, it can boost the market and provide a good incentive to cultivate this plant, especially in areas where it is exposed to saltiness.