Afghanistan Emphasizes Expanding Agricultural Cooperation with Iran
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, during a meeting with members of the Iran-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce in Tehran, emphasized the expansion of economic and trade cooperation, particularly in the field of agriculture.
According to the ministry’s spokesperson, the two sides also discussed opportunities for joint investment in Afghanistan’s agriculture sector.
In this meeting, the deputy minister also called for facilitating the export of Afghan agricultural products to Iran.
Misbahuddin Mustaeen, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, said: “In this meeting, both sides explored opportunities for joint investment in Afghanistan’s agriculture sector. Additionally, increasing the export and import of agricultural products and removing trade barriers between the two countries were among the other topics discussed.”
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock stated that investments from Iran and other countries in Afghanistan’s agriculture sector could play a vital role in increasing agricultural products and boosting the economy.
Mirwais Haji Zada, the First Deputy of the Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock, said: “The more we can utilize Iran’s experience, the better it is for our farmers and people. How can we stop the migration of our youth? When there are jobs and employment opportunities in Afghanistan, people won’t need to migrate to Turkey or other countries via Iran. If work is available here, there is no need for migration. Unfortunately, our agriculture remains outdated, and our industry is weak. We need Iran’s expertise.”
Mir Shakeeb Mir, an economic analyst, stated: “One of the key economic capacities that currently has the potential to strengthen the country’s economy is agriculture. Given Afghanistan’s economic conditions and capacities, we cannot make significant investments in agriculture unless we gain the cooperation of neighboring countries, particularly Iran.”
This comes as a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock visited Iran on Monday of this week and previously held talks with the deputy minister of Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture Jihad regarding the development of bilateral agricultural cooperation.
