The fifth meeting of the China-Iran Joint Committee on Agriculture was held in Beijing on May 14. Vice Minister Ma Youxiang and Kazem Khavazi, First Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Iran, co-chaired the meeting. The two sides held in-depth discussions and reached a consensus on cooperation on rice and wheat cultivation, pest and disease control, agricultural mechanization, and aquaculture, among others.  

Vice Minister Ma pointed out that thanks to the strong support and impetus of the leaders of both countries, China and Iran have greatly advanced their bilateral partnership in agriculture and continuously turned complementary strengths into practical outcomes. Such bilateral cooperation has been enriched by constantly improving operating mechanisms. In 2023, China’s import of agricultural products from Iran surged by 3.5 times compared to five years ago. China has provided extensive technical training to Iran in areas such as agricultural clean energy, rural poverty reduction, and water-saving irrigation. The meeting identified the direction for future cooperation and priorities for the next three years, which will propel stable and solid bilateral agricultural cooperation and yield more fruitful results.  

Deputy Minister Khavazi spoke highly of the remarkable results in bilateral agricultural cooperation and expressed appreciation for China’s consistent cooperation and support. He said Iran hopes to work with China to take bilateral agricultural relations to a height.