TEHRAN – A specialized office for the export of Iranian biotechnology products has been established in Kampala, the capital of the east African country of Uganda.

With the establishment of the office, Iranian biotechnology products will enter the East African market; which was facilitated with the support of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology.

At present, this office specializes in agricultural inputs, human and animal probiotic products, animal feed supplements, pharmaceutical products, diagnostic kits, and equipment, ISNA reported on Wednesday.

In order to implement the program, in the first stage, a sample farm with an area of 10 hectares has been chosen to test different types of fertilizers and seeds of 8 Iranian companies.

In the next stage, the products of 10 other companies with a focus on animal supplements and human probiotics have been selected to enter the market of this region after testing.

The establishment of specialized foreign offices in other countries is an action taken by the Biotechnology Development Council of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology with the aim of expanding the export of bio-based products in international markets. It is planned to establish specialized offices in other countries by the end of March 2022.

800 knowledge-based firms active in biotechnology

Nearly 800 knowledge-based companies in the country are currently operating in the field of biotechnology and supplying their products and services to the domestic market.

Among the companies, a number of them have made significant progress in the field of bioactive technology and have commercialized domestic products.

The Biotechnology Development Council of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology supports knowledge-based, creative companies and technologists active in this field and has provided the ground for the commercialization of products that help promote community health.

Earlier in May, the Biotechnology Development Council launched 129 production projects with the aim of saving up to $1.44 billion of foreign currency; the projects include the production of 27 biological medicine, 12 vaccine development, and 90 pharmaceutical raw materials through knowledge-based companies.

Over 5,700 knowledge-based companies

Currently, over 5,700 knowledge-based companies are active in Iran, manufacturing diverse products to meet the needs of the domestic market while saving large amounts of foreign currency, in addition to export the items.

The fields of aircraft maintenance, steel, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment, oil, and gas are among the sectors that researchers in technology companies have engaged in, leading to import reduction.

Iran ranks 12th in biotechnology

Iran is ranked 12th in the world and first in West Asia in terms of biotechnology, as 9.5 percent of the income of knowledge-based companies and more than 60 percent of their exports are related to biotechnology.

Foreign exchange savings of $1 billion per year by producing 22 biopharmaceuticals, gaining the first rank in biotechnology products and vaccines in West Asia, and the presence among the top five biotechnology producers in Asia are among the country’s achievements, Mostafa Ghanei, secretary of the biotechnology development office of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, said in October 2020.

So far, 27 biotechnology medicines, 12 vaccine projects, 90 pharmaceutical raw materials, and 55 projects in agriculture and food security have been implemented in order to gain a 3 percent market share and biotechnology assistance to the development of the economy, he explained.

Some 8 major companies are responsible for managing the country's 117 priority products in the fields of biopharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical raw materials, vaccines, probiotics, equipment, and chemical drugs, he emphasized.

FB/MG