Iranian President Underlines Necessity for Self-Sufficiency in Agriculture

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stressed the necessity for attaining self-sufficiency in producing agricultural products and increasing exports.
“Our power and might will increase when we move towards self-sufficiency in producing many (agricultural) products,” Rouhani said, addressing a ceremony to appreciate the top producers in the agricultural sector in Tehran on Sunday.

Stressing that farmers are the main pillar of development and economy, he said, “We should open the gates of exports and send our products to the global markets to develop the agricultural sector.”

In relevant remarks earlier this month, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani underlined his government’s plans to boost non-oil exports to $50bln next year.

“One of the most important topics of the government’s economic plans is increasing non-oil exports and this growth will help our economy,” Rouhani said in Tehran, addressing an open session of the parliament in which he presented the budget bill for the next Iranian year (to start on March 21) to the legislative body.

“We hope to see a considerable share of non-oil exports next year and by continuing this trend, (the country’ revenues from) non-oil exports will surpass $50bln,” he added.

President Rouhani also said that the government was seriously pursuing development of the country’s infrastructures and increase of economic growth.

Iran’s non-oil exports increased 20 percent in the first eight months of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2014-November 22, 2014) as compared with last year’s corresponding period.

“The value of non-oil exports since the start of the current year has increased by over 20% compared with the same period last year,” Head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization Valiollah Afkhamirad said, addressing a forum in Kerman Province, Southern Iran, on December 17.

He noted that Iran exported $31.5 billion worth of non-oil goods in the said period.