Iran and Austria stress closer agriculture cooperation

At a meeting between a delegation from the Austrian Young Farmers’ Association and Secretary General of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Hossein Noghrehkar Shirazi, the two sides put emphasis on expansion of bilateral economic cooperation, the public relations office of ICCIMA reported on September 14, 2014.

The secretary general of ICCIMA underscored the decades-long record of Tehran-Vienna cooperation and said since the 1979 Revolution and Iran-Iraq war, collaboration between the two countries on different fronts has been on the rise. “For a variety of reasons, some European countries have distanced themselves from Iran of late, however Iran-Austria relations are built a solid foundation which won’t be shaken.”

Noghrehkar, who was Iran’s ambassador to Austria in the late 1980s, added in 1987 the volume of trade between the two nations stood at $100 million, but in less than four years it hit the $1 billion mark in the industrial sector.

Reiterating that Austrian agricultural capabilities, unlike its industrial involvement, have not been noticeable in Iran, he expressed hope that the delegation will help forge closer economic cooperation on the agricultural front and that the meeting can produce positive results and lead to exchanges of views and knowledge between those who are active in farming in both countries.

For his part, the director general of the Austrian Yong Farmers’ Association voiced hope that Tehran-Vienna relations and their cooperation on the agricultural front will be shored up and asked for information about Iran’s agriculture, support for young farmers in Iran and its agricultural facilities.

At the meeting, Morteza Hoghoughi, who is in charge of the ICCIMA Office for Agriculture and Irrigation, said that water is the most important factor contributing to agricultural expansion, that’s why based on geographical diversity and the amount of rainfall in different regions, there is immense agricultural diversity across Iran and any agricultural crop can be found in Iran.

He went on to say that technology and current conventional farming practices are of great importance. Without conventional methods, the functionality of technology will be limited and to talk about agricultural matters, a complete understanding of and a pragmatic approach to Iran’s agriculture are imperative.