Tehran – Iran is embarking on a major plan to cultivate one million hectares of land in other countries, as it seeks to enhance national food security and export its agricultural expertise.

 

According to the Iranian minister of agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture has already initiated preliminary work, signing memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with several nations.

 

"We need to embrace overseas agriculture because we currently import around 20% of our food and essential goods," said Gholamreza Nouri in an interview with ISNA.

 

"Our goal is to enable Iranian producers and businesses to cultivate food in suitable countries. A portion of this produce will be brought back to Iran, while the rest will be sold in the host countries."

 

The Minister highlighted that the regulations governing overseas cultivation have been revised to streamline the program's implementation. He confirmed that "serious cooperation is underway with four to five countries," with initial arrangements progressing smoothly. "Recent diplomatic visits have yielded signed MOUs, and work is advancing. We're optimistic that overseas cultivation will commence swiftly in these nations," Nouri added.