Iran, Venezuela ink document on plant protection, quarantine

Tehran, IRNA – Agriculture ministers from Iran and Venezuela have signed a cooperation document to collaborate on plant protection and quarantine as a prelude to their future agreements to expand coordination in technical, plantation, and know-how arenas. Iran's Minister of Agriculture Javad Sadatinejad and Wilmar Alfredo Castro Soteldo, Venezuelan Vice-President for Economy, Minister of Agriculture and Lands, also held talks on cooperation in different areas of engineering, agriculture, water and soil management as well as forests. Sadatinejad said on Wednesday that the bilateral ties between Caracas and Tehran have improved in line with policies of the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi and that the exchange of various delegations in recent months indicate both nations' seriousness in stabilizing mutual relationship. The Iranian minister also underlined that the export of food and agricultural products, including dried fruits and citrus, would become operational as soon as possible. The imposition of tariff discounts by the Venezuelan authorities were among the issues that the Iranian side called for in the meeting, he noted. The agriculture minister went on to say that the two sides discussed the opportunity to pursue a contractual plantation in accordance with the climatic limitations. The Venezuelan minister, for his part, appreciated Iranians' hospitability, saying that the ties between the two countries are exemplary and that we should try to deepen the relationship to improve trade cooperation. As to Venezuela's fourth ranking in terms of livestock breeding in the South America region, he noted that the country has exported livestock to Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and Iran. He further said that Venezuela can provide Iran with 500k hectares to conduct extraterritorial cultivation and that the lands can be planted twice every year. The two sides also agreed to prepare an inclusive roadmap for mutual agricultural cooperation in the future. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish