Measures taken by President Hassan Rouhani’s administration have resulted in the improvement of trade balance in the agriculture sector by $2.5 billion, said the deputy agriculture minister in livestock production.
“Zero imports of chicken, egg, milk and honey and the exports of the surplus agricultural products suggest that the country has indeed reached self-sufficiency in their production, IRNA quoted Hassan Rokni as saying.
“Two years ago (Iranian calendar) agricultural trade balance was minus $8 billion. The figure dropped to minus $5.5 billion last year, which is indicative of the government’s good performance in this sector. Hopefully this positive trend will continue into the current year (started March 21),” he added.
The latest report by Business Monitor International on Iran’s agribusiness sector predicts remarkable increases in the production of major crops in the coming years as a result of the landmark nuclear agreement reached between Iran and six major world powers in Vienna last month.
Coop. With Serbia
Meanwhile, Serbia’s Minister of Agriculture Snežana Bogosavljević Bošković met with Iran’s Ambassador in Belgrade Majid Fahimpour on Tuesday. They discussed possible areas of cooperation between the two countries as well as the upcoming visit by an Iranian agriculture delegation that will be led by deputy agriculture minister Abbas Keshavarz, from September 7 to 11.
The two sides expressed willingness to expand cooperation in areas including, but not limited to, water resources management, food and crop improvement. They also signaled the two countries’ readiness about joint investment in the agriculture sector.
