Iran Launches First Innovation Center to Export Agricultural Products
“One of the activists in the field of agriculture in Zanjan province (Northern Iran), who has succeeded in exports to Russia, has been able to create an innovation center for the exports of agricultural products (APEIC) in this province,” Meysam Farajollahi said.
“Three events were held in the field of agriculture in this province, and during our trip to Zanjan, we were able to participate in the third event of this center, named Zeytoun, which was dedicated to the exports of olives,” he added.
“During Zeytoun event, 60 plans were presented by the students of Zanjan University and Islamic Azad University and they were assessed. 12 projects were chosen among the 60 plans and the Vice-Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy has promised to support them on the condition of purchase guarantee by the exporting company. As a result of these events, an export-based innovation center was established in the field of agriculture,” Farajollahi said.
In relevant remarks in September, an Iranian official announced that the country had exported $1.998 billion worth of crops and farming products in the first five months of the current Persian calendar year (started on March 21), showing a 19% increase compared to the same period last year.
During the first five months of Iranian year, $1.998 billion worth of fishery, livestock, agricultural and food products were exported, said Rouhollah Latifi, the caretaker of the department of monitoring and foreign trade of the central organization for rural cooperative of Iran.
"Of this amount, $1.680 billion have been exported to 15 neighboring countries,” he added.
Latifi said that Iraq was the first export destination of Iran's food and agriculture products, with $729.607 million, which accounted for 37% of the total agricultural and farming exports.
He added that the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Pakistan and Afghanistan were the second to fifth export destinations in Iran's agricultural, food, livestock and fishery products in the first five months of the year.
Latifi named Turkey, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Oman, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia as other export destinations of Iran.
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