Tehran, Moscow pledge deeper agro ties, eye joint food hub
Iranian Agriculture Minister Gholamreza Nouri-Qezeljeh and his Russian counterpart, Oksana Lut, agreed to expand Tehran-Moscow agricultural cooperation during their talks in the Russian capital on Thursday, pledging closer collaboration on trade, veterinary standards, and joint research.
The meeting centered on implementing the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed by the two countries’ presidents at the Kremlin in January 2025.
“Agriculture is a key pillar of Iran-Russia trade — already accounting for two-thirds of our current exchanges,” Nouri-Qezeljeh said, adding that Tehran is prioritizing Russian agricultural products to meet domestic demand. “We are fully prepared to supply Russia with high-quality agricultural goods and welcome Russian companies to invest in Iran’s emerging food-processing and export infrastructure.”
Strategic role in Moscow’s agricultural agenda
Meanwhile, Lut emphasized Iran’s strategic role in Moscow’s agricultural agenda. “Iran is a major and important partner for Russia in agriculture,” she said, noting that bilateral agricultural trade rose by 20% in the first nine months of 2025. “This year, we have resumed exports of mineral fertilizers to Iran — a significant step forward.”
The ministers agreed to establish joint mechanisms for veterinary and phytosanitary quarantine cooperation to eliminate trade barriers and pledged enhanced collaboration in technical fields, agricultural research, and farmer training. Plans were also finalized to launch joint agricultural research stations.
Discussions extended to wheat and animal feed exchanges, veterinary vaccine production, plant breeding, and the deployment of advanced agricultural technologies. Both sides also explored avenues for cooperation within multilateral frameworks, including BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
On Wednesday, Nouri-Qezeljeh met with executives of major Russian agricultural holdings to discuss grain swaps and feed imports, and separately conferred with Kazakhstan’s agriculture minister on bilateral ties.
Russian firms invited to join Iran’s food hub initiative
In a separate gathering at the Iranian Embassy in Moscow, the Iranian minister invited Russian agribusiness leaders to participate in Tehran’s plan to become a regional food-processing and export hub. He highlighted Iran’s semi-idle grain-processing, oil-extraction, and animal feed facilities — now targeted for reactivation under the government’s new policy aimed at maximizing their capacity.
“Given regional and African demand for grains and their derivatives, Iran’s processing capabilities offer a strategic opportunity: importing more grain from Russia and re-exporting value-added products,” Nouri-Qezeljeh said. He confirmed that Tehran has issued necessary permits to scale up agricultural trade and encouraged Russian firms to join Iranian-led production and transit initiatives.
Russian executives welcomed the proposal, citing Iran’s geographic advantage along the North-South and East-West transport corridors as a key incentive for deeper collaboration.