Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture is scheduled to hold the Third Economic Diplomacy Forum between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union for promoting trade and investment in the field of food and agriculture on Dec. 15 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The one-day meeting, with the participation of state organizations and private-sector companies, will be held in Tehran in the presence of ambassadors and commercial advisers of EEU member states.
During this forum, free trade opportunities for agricultural products will be reviewed, the news portal of TCCIM reported.
By inviting businessmen and economic activists from member countries of this economic union, TCCIM has provided an opportunity for bilateral meetings between businesspeople from Iran and commercial companies in this region.
On the sidelines of the event, an exhibition will be held to introduce the products and capabilities of companies active in the food, agriculture and processing industries.
In addition to the TCCIM officials, representatives of joint chambers and private sector organizations, Agriculture Minister Javad Sadati-Nejad, the head of Trade Promotion Organization, Alireza Peymanpak, and the economic deputy of Foreign Ministry Mehdi Saffari will also attend the forum.
Eight specialized panels will be held to discuss important bilateral issues.
Peymanpak noted that with the conclusion of free trade talks between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union, the two sides will most likely start exchanging goods with zero tariffs as of the next Iranian year (starting March 21, 2023).
“Last year, we held nine rounds of negotiations with EEU member states. There is currently a preferential trade agreement in force between us, as a result of which Iran-EEU trade increased from $2.3 billion in 2015 to around $5 billion in 2021,” he was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
“The PTA has led to a 55% rise in our exports to EEU over the last three years. Once the FTA comes into effect, a market as big as $700 billion will open up to Iranian products and services.”
Iran exported 3.36 million tons of agricultural and food products worth $1.85 billion during the first six months of the current fiscal year (March 21-Sept. 22), new data released by the Agriculture Ministry show.
The figures indicate a decrease of 14.77% in tonnage and 20.33% in value compared with last year's corresponding period.
Agrifood imports stood at 10.97 million tons worth $8.22 billion during the six-month period, indicating a 26.04% and 1.69 decline in weight and value YOY, respectively.
