Apple supply chain

In a joint meeting between SFIDA, Provincial governor office and the provincial funds of the third region of Iran in Tabriz hosted by provincial organization of the ministry of Agriculture- Jahad, the Apple Supply Chain (ASC) in East Azerbaijan was formally inaugurated. The purpose of implementing ASC was expressed by the CEO of East Azerbaijan Fund as a plan to managing the apple production chain from Farm to Fork (F2F) including producing, processing, packaging, storage, marketing targeting regional and international markets.

Gardeners and producers can benefit from this chain management because ASC will be effective increasing income, reducing unemployment risk and increasing apple production in the region.

The CEO of S.F.I.D.A, Hossein Mahdidoust announced the support of SFIDA for the establishment of an export terminal for the northwestern provinces of Iran.  The creation of county funds with small capital has practically made it difficult to support the activists in the field of agriculture and there is a need to reform the structure of these county funds. He emphasized: We should not allow the depreciation of the currency to affect the mission of this group in supporting the agricultural sector, and the only way to prevent this issue is to enter into trading activities.

Mahdidoust asked the provincial funds to use at least 30% of their capital for economic and trading activities in the agricultural sector, such as providing agricultural inputs, and to use the rest of the capital to grant facilities to shareholders.

Any country that invests in the field of agricultural products today will surely create a worry-free intellectual platform for sustainable development, the deputy coordinator of economic affairs of East Azerbaijan said.

The activities of institutions such as the Investment Development Support Fund in the agricultural sector, which provides advice, makes policies, and provides financing and support, is the main need of the agricultural sector, Mohammad Kalami added. He continued: Our agricultural sector suffers from both policymaking and marketing, and by moving from traditional subsistence farming and increasing investments in the agricultural sector, these challenges can be overcome through the efforts of the agricultural sector organizations.

Fund for supporting the development of investment in the agricultural sector is a platform for solving the existing challenges of this sector, Akbar Fathi, head of East Azerbaijan Agriculture- Jahad Organization, said. Fathi pointed to the activities of the SFIDA in the field of providing money to the organizations of the agricultural sector and supporting the investment of the agricultural sector and added: these activities have made the fund to support the development of the agricultural sector to create good among the activists of the agricultural sector.

There are many challenges in the agricultural sector and solutions should be considered to overcome these challenges, low investment in the agricultural sector compared to other economic sectors, including industry and services, is one of the main challenges, he stated. The main sector for employment and food security is agriculture but only 5% of investment is made in this sector.