TEHRAN - The Ministry of Agriculture welcomes the assistance and expertise of knowledge-based companies in order to improve productivity, Agriculture Minister Javad Sadatinejad has said.

Emphasizing that the agriculture sector needs the help of technological and knowledge-based companies to increase productivity, the minister announced 260 main challenges of the sector that should be solved, IRNA reported.  

The technological needs of the agriculture sector can be discussed by university students in their research and theses, he added.

“Certainly, the agriculture sector is an area that without the use of modern knowledge and technology, it is not possible to create the necessary products for the supply of sufficient and healthy food.”

This year, the Ministry of Agriculture has succeeded in building the first science and technology park and natural resources, as well as launching six technology and innovation villages in some provinces of the country, he highlighted.

For the next year, the necessary planning for setting up these villages in 10 other provinces of the country is also underway, he noted.

Sadatinejad went on to say that the platform for the establishment of two thousand knowledge-based and technological companies in the science and technology park as well as innovation and technology villages has been provided.

The number of agricultural knowledge-based companies has increased from 280 to 480, he said, adding that the goal is to increase the share of agricultural knowledge-based companies from 4.2 percent to 6.5 percent.

He also said that the number of growth centers in the field of agriculture has increased by 18 percent.

“Our effort in the Ministry of Agriculture is to increase productivity in various sectors, including healthy food production, and this important goal will not be realized without using science.”

In December 2022, Reza Asadifar, an official with the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology said currently 7882 knowledge-based firms are operating in the country.

The fields of biotechnology, agriculture, food industries, chemical technologies aircraft maintenance, steel, gas, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and medicine, oil, electronics and telecommunications, information technology, and computer software are among the sectors in which researchers in technology companies are working.

In the current [Iranian calendar] year (March 2022-March 2023), new approaches have been taken to support knowledge-based companies both in terms of quality and quantity in line with realizing the goal of a knowledge-based economy.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei designated the current Iranian year as “The Year of Production: Knowledge-Based and Job-Creating”.

Strengthening knowledge-based companies are on the agenda, raising hope for reducing obstacles on the path to development.

The Leader has called on all Iranians, including citizens and government officials, to work hard to boost knowledge-based production and create new jobs.

MG