Four Tech Projects to Help Curb Reliance on Imports

Four tech projects in the fields of pharmaceuticals and agriculture have recently come on stream in three provinces, which will help curb the country’s reliance on foreign supply.
Supported and financed by the Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology, the projects were inaugurated by President Hassan Rouhani via videoconference on Thursday, the office’s website Isti.ir reported.
The move is part of the government's initiative to launch 200 industrial, mining and trade plans worth 1.69 quadrillion rials ($5.72 billion) and create 41,000 jobs across the country by the end of the current fiscal year (March 2021). 
The first project launched by Rouhani was a production line for two plasma-derived medicinal products, Albumin and immunoglobulin, in Alborz Province.
Present at the inaugural meeting, Sorena Sattari, the vice president for science and technology, said the two products are currently imported from Germany and Austria. 
“A 50 mg vial of the components is worth €200, hence the local production of the two medical matters will significantly slash capital flight,” he added.
The other project, launched in the province, was a bio-fertilizer production line. 
Sattari said chemical fertilizers should be gradually replaced with eco-friendly counterparts.