The head of the Center for Mechanization and Agricultural Industry Development announced the launch of 199 agro-processing and food industry projects during Government Week.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, reported by IRNA, Karim Zolfahari stated that these projects are capable of accepting and processing about 1.82 million tons of agricultural raw materials and will provide employment for 12,427 people, which is a significant step in increasing agricultural productivity.
The Center's head also noted that in addition to the projects to be opened during Government Week, 761 semi-finished agricultural industry projects are being implemented across the country, with progress exceeding 50%. He added that with financial support and completion of these works, the country's industrial potential will increase due to the ability to process approximately 10 million tons of agricultural raw materials.
Furthermore, over 16,700 active licenses have been issued to develop agricultural sectors and complete production cycles. These enterprises can collectively accept more than 114 million tons of raw materials and create jobs for approximately 270,000 people.
Karim Zolfahari provided information on the ranking of provinces regarding the projects to be commissioned during Government Week. In terms of investment value, West Azerbaijan, Mazandaran, and Markazi provinces rank first, respectively. Regarding the number of projects, Khorasan, West Azerbaijan, and Kermanshah are the leaders.
In terms of job creation, West Azerbaijan, Khorasan, and Mazandaran lead.
The head of the Center for Mechanization and Agricultural Industry Development emphasized that the development of agro-processing and the food industry is one of the most important tools for preventing raw material sales, reducing losses, and increasing the added value of agricultural products. He stated that action must be taken so that a larger share of the country's production after processing and packaging is offered to both domestic and export markets with higher added value.
He also noted that processing industries can turn the country's advantage in agriculture into an export advantage, especially considering that global markets are moving towards high-quality, standardized products with proper packaging and traceability. Zolfahari concluded that developing processing industries requires technological advancement, modernization of production and processing processes, improved packaging, increased productivity, and compliance with export standards, and that investments in this sector must receive more attention than before.