On a two-day visit to Lorestan Province to consider opportunities and capacities of the western province in terms of food products, pharmaceuticals and construction materials, Swedish Ambassador to Iran Peter Tejler attended a meeting with the private sector activists of the province.
“In spite of sanctions, bilateral trade relations between the two countries have increased remarkably,” Mehr News Agency quoted Tejler as saying on Monday.
Noting that Sweden’s exports to Iran increased by 65% last year, he added that the European country is a giant importer of food and fruits, since it is located in the cold regions of northern Europe.
“Importing fruit, particularly honeydew and strawberry, from Lorestan could be a lucrative deal for both sides,”
He observed that Lorestan has great agricultural potential and could make for a popular market for European nations once it obtains export license from the European Union.
Tejler maintained that Iranian expatriates constitute more than 1 percent of the Swedish population, and are looking for trade counterparts in Iran.
The head of Agriculture Commission at the provincial Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, Morteza Hadipour, singled out Lorestan as a leading province in the agriculture sector.
“750,000 tons of vegetable, 250,000 tons of fruit and 150,000 tons of grain are produced annually in Lorestan, which could be used to enhance cooperation between the two sides,” he said.
