TEHRAN- Iran and France made an agreement on expansion of bilateral ties in the agriculture sector, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

The agreement was signed in a meeting between Iranian Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati and French Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll in Tehran on Monday.

Cooperation on subjects such as trade of agricultural products, production of plants, exchange of technical knowledge and issues related to food security, livestock and their health was mentioned in the agreement.

Iran and France also signed six memorandums of understanding in May to enhance cooperation in the farming and fishery sectors. 

A 150-member delegation of French businessmen, led by Le Foll and Trade Minister Matthias Fekl, arrived in Tehran on Monday for a two-day visit to seek cooperation avenues in Iran.

Coming hard on the heels of the accord signed between Iran and western powers on Iran’s nuclear program, this is a first of the kind in a decade. 

The visit is one of the first in what is likely to be a string of trips by French officials seeking closer ties with Iran triggered by the January visit of Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius to Iran. 

According to the formal statistics made available by French Foreign Ministry, Iran’s imports from France in 2013 fell to $558.22 million as compared to $1.66 billion in 2011. 

The formal statistics, also, out by the Iran Customs Administration puts Iran’s non-oil exports to France and imports from the country at $31.5 million and $571.2 million, respectively, in the previous calendar year, ended on March 20, 2015. 

MA/