TEHRAN – Iran’s deputy industry minister announced that domestic food industry is providing 375,000 job opportunities across the country, IRNA reported.

Farshad Moqimi made the remarks during a visit to the 26th International Exhibition of Food, Food Technology and Agriculture of Iran (Agrofood 2019) on Thursday.

“About 14 percent of employment and 11 percent of the value added of the country's industrial sector are accounted by the food industry,” he said.

The official underlined the positive contribution of this industry to the country’s foreign trade and said: "In this regard, the government is focused on supporting the industry by continuous supply of raw materials and assistance in creating special export lines for this industry.”

He further mentioned developments in manufacturing the industry’s necessary equipment and machinery inside the country, saying, "We have grown to a great extent in the field of manufacturing of industrial machinery in the food industry.”

Attended by 160 foreign companies, the 26th International Exhibition of Food, Food Technology and Agriculture of Iran (Agrofood 2019), was held during June 18-21 at the Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds.

The exposition is the largest and the most famous international food fair in the Middle East. 

EF/MA