TEHRAN – Iran, in association with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is scheduled to hold talks on turning the country into a hub for food security in the West Asia region, an Iranian official said.

Iran’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Hooshang Mohammadi made the remarks on the sidelines of FAO’s 34th Executive Committee (EC) and 24th Governing Council (GC) meeting in Thailand, which is being held June 4-6.

In meetings with the FAO deputy secretary-general and the director-general of the Asia-Pacific Integrated Rural Development Center (CIRDAP), Mohammadi said that given the development of the knowledge-based food security document in Iran, the Islamic Republic proposed to be placed at the center of food security for the countries in the region, adding that Iran's request is planned to be placed on the agenda for FAO's discussions.

If agreed upon, the UN food agency would invest in Iran and pave the way for providing the country with technical know-how and scientific findings, the deputy minister said, adding that the Islamic Republic is ready to transfer its experiences, studies, and policies regarding rural development.

The Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) is a Bangladesh-based intergovernmental organization involved in rural development and poverty alleviation. The CIRDAP includes states such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

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