Cooperatives account for 99 percent of agricultural activities, as well as 75 percent of agricultural production, Tasnim news agency quoted CEO of Aquatic Farmers Cooperatives Union, Arsalan Ghasemi, as saying. “State-run agriculture accounts for only 1 percent of total agricultural activities; however the government makes 80 percent of the decisions in the sector,” the official complained. Earlier, a senior official at Tose’e Ta’aavon Bank, Mohammad Jafar Irani said the cooperative sector has failed to deliver its envisioned share of 25% in the national economy as the sector’s current share is no more than 5%. He further said that in a bid to stimulate the sector, Tose’e Ta’avon Bank has been tasked to allocate more than 3 trillion rials ($1.07 billion based on official exchange rate) to the cooperative sector.
