TEHRAN – Iranian Agriculture Minister Javad Sadati Nejad has said his ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pursuing to develop interactions with neighboring countries to boost exports of agricultural products and realize the country’s goal for becoming an agriculture hub in the region.

“Given the capacities of neighboring countries and with the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the field of economic diplomacy, we can increase the export of agricultural products and interaction with neighbors and become a commercial agricultural hub in the region,” Sadati Nejad said in meeting with his deputies on Sunday.

As reported by Mehr News Agency, in the said meeting, the official called on his deputies to prepare a list including the export, import and technological needs of the agricultural sector in order to provide to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so that this ministry can refer the needs and capacities of the agricultural sector to embassies.

In the meeting, Mehdi Safari, deputy of economic diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized the expansion of Iran's agricultural cooperation with neighboring countries and called for introducing Iran's export potential and import needs in the agricultural sector to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Safari underlined the need for the introduction and transfer of technologies needed by the agricultural sector to the country with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and suggested holding specialized meetings with the presence of deputies of the Agriculture Ministry and heads of specialized organizations.

Despite the economic sanctions, the coronavirus pandemic and the current drought, the exports of Iran’s agricultural products have been increasing in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21) compared to the previous year.

The value of agricultural products exported during the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-July 22) rose nine percent as compared to the same period of time in the past year.

According to the Deputy Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) Mehrdad Jamal Orounaqi, over 2.5 million tons of agricultural products worth more than $1.7 billion were exported in the four-month period.

The main foodstuffs and agricultural products exported during this period were tomatoes, pistachios, watermelons, tomato paste, cheese, apples, melons, potatoes, dates and various sweets, the official stated, and named Iraq, China, Afghanistan, and the United Arab Emirates as the main export destinations of the products.

EF/MA