For the first time in Iran, a knowledge-based enterprise has established a specialized waste accelerator center in Gilan Province for solving the waste problem.
Abbas Ranji, the CEO of knowledge-based Parsi Gil Development Leaders Complex, said the center’s task is to accelerate the process of recycling waste materials by offering support and financial assistance to startups, IRNA reported.
He said the accelerator center also provides investment opportunities to specialized startups, while extending support for six months in different areas, depending on the needs of the business.
The CEO noted that in this center, talented teams produce different products through waste recycling. He added that conversion of fruit and vegetable waste into animal feed, using digester to produce energy from wet waste and the manufacture of waste disinfection machines for reducing waste hazards are among the products and services offered by this center.
“By recycling waste materials, concrete products like blocks, tables and concrete pipes can be produced,” he said.
Ranji further said one of the most important ways of solving the waste problem in Gilan is by using knowledge-based companies, adding that the lack of trust of officials in the youth is the most important problem facing knowledge-based companies.
At present, four companies are active in the fields of medical waste recycling, waste disinfection, manufacture of concrete products and conversion of waste into animal feed in Parsi Gil Complex.
One of the 31 provinces of Iran, Gilan Province borders the Caspian Sea.
Iran’s Agro Waste Reaches 30%
Up to 30% of agricultural products go to waste in Iran, mostly during the harvest and post-harvest stages, says an official with the Plant Protection Organization of Iran.
“Waste produced along the agriculture production chain in Iran accounts for 3% of total agricultural and food waste globally,” Masoud Latifian was also quoted as saying by ILNA.
“Iran produces 100 million tons of agricultural products annually, of which 16.5 million tons go to waste, which is equal to the output of one million hectares of land, or 12% of the total land using irrigated cultivation systems.”
The official noted that 90% of Iran’s agricultural waste pertain to 60 horticultural and agronomic crops, and 10% to 40 other products.
“Waste from grapes accounts for the lion’s share of agricultural waste in Iran with 34%, followed by 31% of tangerines, 30% of oranges, peaches and cherries, 28% of apples, 26% of limes and lemons, 25% of pomegranates and 20% of dates,” he said.
The volume of agricultural waste in Iran is twofold higher than the global average.
Old machinery used in this sector is the main culprit behind the wastage.
Agriculture waste is said to cost Iran's economy over $5 billion per annum.
The government of former president, Hassan Rouhani, invested in repairing agricultural machinery.
“Thanks to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, renowned brands of rice planting machinery, heavy tractors, combines and orchard tractors have been imported,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA, referring to Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2015.
JCPOA was implemented in 2016 to see years of international sanctions against Iran lifted. However, under the administration of former US president, Donald Trump, the country unilaterally walked out of the deal and the fate of it remains uncertain.
Most of the imports came from Germany, Italy, France, South Korea and Japan.
“The excessive use of seeds during the pre-harvest stage, the use of old technology to fight pests and diseases during the harvest stage and the inappropriate transport of agricultural goods in the chain of distribution, market and consumption are among other reasons,” says vice chairman of Iran's Agriculture Guild, Behrouz Bazli.
Changing Food Landscape
According to Food and Agriculture Organization, 1.3 billion tons of food, mainly fruit, vegetables, fish and grains, are wasted globally every year.
There are two patterns of food waste throughout the world. In developing countries, food waste happens mostly between the harvest and processing stages while in developed countries, the retailing system and customers are the main culprits.
About 95% of Iran's agricultural machinery need are met by domestic producers and the remaining 5% pertain to modern machinery used in rice paddy fields.
Experts say the canning industry is among the most important processing industries that can help minimize agricultural waste.
The canning industry is a strategic sector, originally set up to prevent food wastage and feed people in times of crisis such as war or earthquakes. However, using canned food nowadays is not limited to the time of crisis.
Currently, with the development of modern society and population growth, more and more people are using canned food and demand is growing.
Mohammad Javad Soroush, director of the Water and Soil Office at the Department of Environment, says poor management of agricultural waste is depriving Iran of the means for improving soil fertility.
He describes agricultural waste as an "important resource" whose value must be acknowledged by the Agriculture Ministry.
This type of waste is often converted into organic fertilizer and energy in countries with advanced farming techniques, but this is not practiced in Iran where even irrigation systems are largely outdated and wasteful.
"The vast extent of our soil lacks sufficient organic material, which can be redressed by using compost derived from agricultural waste," Soroush has been quoted as saying by ISNA.
Agricultural waste management is based on the principles of four Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle and recover.
Waste disposal is only a last resort option in the developed world.
