Iran wants to expand agricultural ties with the European Union, the managing director of Agricultural Jihad Ministry’s International Affairs Office Alimorad Sarfarazi said on Monday.
During a meeting between the Agricultural Jihad Ministry’s affiliated organizations and visiting representatives of the European Union, Sarfarazi said that Iran and the EU had a good history of cooperation in the agricultural field.
Expressing hope that such cooperation will begin once again, he said that joint projects which were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic can be defined in the framework of the new joint projects.
There are over four million farmers in Iran, and another priority for the ministry is designing and improving a national agricultural research plan, added Sarfarazi.
“Iran intends to take advantage of the EU experience to improve agricultural commerce in Iranian villages with emphasis on women’s employment,” Sarfarazi said.
Managing Director of EU International Cooperation II (Asia, Africa, Middle East & External Relations-RTD.F.2) Sara Rinaldi said that a strategic seven-year cooperation document aimed at expanding the Iran-EU cooperation has been devised and the EU has allocated a 78-million-euro budget for the purpose.