Iran to Develop Technology of Domestically-Produced Hybrid Seeds
Given the goals of the Seventh Development Plan (2023-2027) to produce 50 percent of vegetable and summer hybrid seeds domestically, it was deemed by the officials as necessary to develop a technical and executive plan and roadmap for hybrid seed production, with integrated management of the public and private sectors and utilizing existing scientific capabilities and infrastructure capacities.
Therefore, the Office of the National Program for the Development of Greenhouse and Fisheries Towns of the Iranian Vice-Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, in line with its missions and with the aim of promoting and completing the value chain of hybrid seed production and development, by benefiting from the capacities and capabilities of knowledge-based and technology-based companies and the cooperation of the responsible organizations, has put the development of this executive plan on its agenda to facilitate the path to achieve the goals of the Seventh Progress Program in the field of seeds with targeted support for its implementation.
Therefore, in the second meeting of the hybrid seed production and development symposium, the draft executive plan was presented by the national program and the proposed short-term, medium-term and long-term plans for the production, commercialization and branding of domestic hybrid seeds were reviewed with the presence of knowledge-based and technology-based companies.
It was decided that the final suggestions and points of view from the companies would be obtained during the next meeting and the proposed plan, after revision and consensus of experts, would be the basis for subsequent decision-making.
In a relevant development in January, the president of Islamic Azad University’s Alborz branch announced the construction of a 10-hectare fully smart greenhouse to produce hybrid vegetable seeds.
“For the sustainable, comprehensive and continuous development of its knowledge-based, technological and innovative activities in full compliance with Iran’s policies, our university is implementing various plans, including the construction of a 10-hectare fully intelligent greenhouse relying on hybrid seed production in the field of vegetables and greens in the Mahdasht farm by the end of the university's fiscal year with the participation of agricultural and material innovation centers based on completely indigenous knowledge and technology of university faculty members and the creation of five new innovation centers in accordance with the province's comparative advantages with the help of artificial intelligence,” Hossein Kalantari told ANA.
“Biotechnology-related projects for the development of medical, agricultural, and pharmaceutical products, projects related to information technology and artificial intelligence and participation in the creation of intelligent systems and applied software and artificial intelligence, creating a computer game production hub, environmental projects, renewable energy, precious metal extraction, making a creative house for cultural and artistic industries in the Karaj branch, and designing and implementing creative urban elements, luxurious architecture, and recreating urban spaces are among the various other projects underway at this university,” he added.
4155/v
