TM Says Will Support Organic Food Producers

Demand for organic food in Iran has been growing in recent years. Consumers in increasing numbers are looking for organic food, ranging from fruit and vegetable to organic fish, dairy and other food products.

To address the demand, head of Tehran Municipality’s Fruit and Vegetables Markets Management Organization, Abdolhossein Rahimi has said that the number of organic food stalls in the municipality-run vegetable and fruit markets will increase.

“So far 30 stalls offer organic products in the municipality-run fruit and vegetables markets in the capital. However, these are not enough to meet the consumers’ demand and we are planning to open one organic food stall in each market,” ISNA quoted him as saying.

It has been reported that only 45,000 hectares of the cultivated area in the country is used for producing organic crops, Rahimi said, calling it “meager” compared with growing demand.

To encourage organic farming, the official said the TM organization is willing  to allocate market space at lower prices to organic food producers whose yield are approved by the Iranian Organic Association.

Organic foods are the product of organic farming. While the standards differ worldwide, organic farming in general features cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.

In organic farming, instead of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, farmers rely on biological diversity in the field to naturally reduce habitat for pest organisms. Organic farmers also purposefully maintain and replenish the fertility of the soil.

Earlier this month, the TM’s Fruits and Vegetables Markets Management Organization was granted membership in the Association of Asian Local Governments for Organic Agriculture in the latest meeting of the association in South Korea.

AALGOA was initiated by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements in 2013 with the aim of fostering dialogue and cooperation among Asian local governments for the development of organic agriculture and  related industries. It provides policy support, information exchanges, mutual exchanges of experts and organic stakeholders and education courses for local government officials for countries developing organic agriculture.

The Tehran organization plans to hold the 10th festival on organic agricultural products in Tehran’s Goftogu Park in January 2018. International manufacturers and producers will attend.

According to Rahimi, the festival has seen improvement in the number of participants each year. Last year, the week-long exhibition received around 25,000 visitors every day.