BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. A significant portion of agricultural products in Iran, estimated at around 25-30 percent of the country’s agricultural output, is wasted each year, Chairman of the Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO) of the Ministry of Agriculture of Iran, Mojtaba Khayam Nekouei stated, Trend reports.
According to Nekouei, preventing the waste of approximately 30 million tons of agricultural products annually would require advanced technology.
He highlighted that this amount of wasted produce could otherwise sustain about 9 million people.
Additionally, if Iran could cut agricultural waste by half, it would add roughly 24 million tons to the country's production.
Nekouei emphasized that a well-structured and precise program is essential to both reduce waste and enhance the quality of agricultural products.
For perspective, Iran produces over 130 million tons of agricultural goods each year and has agricultural lands covering more than 12 million hectares.