TEHRAN - The director of the Iranian Agriculture Ministry’s extraterritorial cultivation plan says the ministry has targeted two million hectares of extraterritorial cultivation in the 7th National Development Plan (2023-2027) to ensure food security.

“According to the seventh development plan, this year, nearly 400,000 hectares of extra-territorial cultivation should be carried out in the target countries to supply the country's strategic needs for agricultural products,” Aghareza Fotouhi said.

Iraq, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, African countries, and Latin America are the target countries for extraterritorial cultivation, according to Fotouhi.

“Considering the limited water and soil resources in the country, climate change, and population increase, one of the most important priorities in the agricultural sector is investing in extraterritorial agriculture,” the official said.

Back in January, the Iranian Agricultural Ministry announced that Africa has been set as the first option for extraterritorial cultivation in its ongoing programs.

As one of the major policies of the current government administration, the Islamic Republic has been following new strategies to expand cooperation with Africa, and agriculture has been the main focus of such cooperation.

In line with the mentioned strategies, the first meeting of the Iran-Tanzania Joint Economic Committee is going to be held shortly, and to prepare for the mentioned meeting, the Iranian Agriculture Ministry hosted a gathering to discuss possible agreements and memorandums that could be reached between the two sides in the upcoming committee meeting.

Tanzania is considered one of the most important countries in East Africa and Iran is taking new measures to expand economic ties with this country.

EF/