TEHRAN – Iranian Agriculture Minister Javad Sadati Nejad met with Switzerland’s Parliament Speaker on Tuesday during which the two sides stressed expansion of agricultural cooperation between the two countries, IRIB reported.

Speaking in the meeting, Sadati Nejad said Iran seeks to develop agricultural cooperation with Switzerland in the form of two investment projects in the north and south of the country.

The agriculture minister pointed to two major investment projects in the north and south of the country and said: "Each of these projects requires an investment of about two billion dollars, and we hope to achieve positive results [with Switzerland] in this regard."

According to Sadati Nejad, the project in the north of the country is in the field of rice production, and with the implementation of this project 1.2 million tons will be added to the country’s rice production. The investment project in the south of the country is in Khuzestan Province, it covers 250,000 hectares of land and is aimed for boosting grain production.

“In our country, there are unique opportunities for cooperation with Switzerland, and we can have closer relations in the field of agriculture,” the minister stressed.

The official expressed hope that trade relations between the two countries would continue despite the obstacles, saying: “over the past years, these interactions have existed in various fields like agricultural seeds, pesticide control, and despite sanctions, Switzerland has continued its services and trade transactions with Iran.”

He noted that the agricultural ministry has defined big projects across the country, adding that Iran could also have joint investment projects with Switzerland.

Pointing out that the two sides need money transfer channels to continue trade, the minister added that one of the platforms that can be used in this regard is the humanitarian channel that has been set up between Iran and Switzerland, but money transfer has not been done through it yet.

The official further mentioned Iran’s export capacities, saying that pistachios, saffron, and medicinal plants are among the popular products that can be exported from Iran to Switzerland.

EF/MA