he agricultural delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran headed by Abbas Askarzadeh arrived in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to hold the second workgroup of the Iran-Belarus Agricultural Cooperation.

The official meeting of the Iran-Belarus Agricultural Cooperation Group was held at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus with the presence of the Deputy Ministers of Agriculture of the two countries and other managers of related fields.

Iranian Deputy Agriculture Minister Abbas Askarzadeh, in the meeting, referring to the capacities of the agricultural sector of Iran and Belarus, announced Iran's readiness to further increase joint cooperation in all fields with the Belarusian side.

Belarusian Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister Aleksei Bogdanov, for his part in the meeting, highlighted the significant growth in trade between the two countries in the field of agriculture in 2020 and 2021, stating that the two sides can mutually meet the significant needs of the other side. 

Prospects of Belarus-Iran trade and economic cooperation were discussed, in particular, an increase in the choice and the volume of the foods and agricultural raw materials in mutual trade.

Ways to activate cooperation in the agricultural sector and increase trade ties in agricultural products, horticulture, fisheries, and aquaculture between the two countries were discussed and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to develop cooperation. 

In January-September 2021 Belarus-Iran trade in food and agricultural raw materials totaled $8 million, 114.5% as against January-September 2020.