TEHRAN -- Tehran Municipality’s Fruits and Vegetables Markets Management Organization has got the membership of the Asian Local Governments for Organic Agriculture (ALGOA).

The organization inked an agreement with ALGOA during the third Asia Local Government for Organic Agriculture Summit which was held in Goesan-gun, South Korea, on September 1 and 2, Mehr reported.

Tehran Municipality’s Fruits and Vegetables Markets Management Organization plans to hold an international festival on organic agricultural products in January 2018.
 
ALGOA was initiated by International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the worldwide umbrella organization for the organic movement, in 2013 with the aim of fostering dialogue and cooperation among Asian local governments for the development of organic agriculture and its related industries.

ALGOA provides policy support, information exchanges, mutual exchanges of experts and organic stakeholders and education courses for local government officials for countries developing organic agriculture. 

Organic vs. GM

The cultivation of genetically modified organisms has recently spurred debates in Iran.

The biosafety working group, affiliated with the Department of Environment, is tasked with imposing regulations and investigating the negative impacts of GMOs both on environment and human health. 

Meanwhile, the ministries of health and agriculture are also in charge of providing consents for production of GMOs in the country. 

Genetically modified food controversies are disputes over the use of foods and other goods derived from genetically modified crops instead of conventional crops, and other uses of genetic engineering in food production. 

The key areas of controversy related to genetically modified food are whether such food should be labeled, the role of government regulators, the objectivity of scientific research and publication, the effect of genetically modified crops on health and the environment, the effect on pesticide resistance, the impact of such crops for farmers, and the role of the crops in feeding the world population.

SB/MG