DUSHANBE, March 5, Asia-Plus - A two-day agricultural experts meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) opened in Tehran, Iran, today.

The meeting has brought together senior representatives from agriculture ministries of member nations of the Organization and agricultural experts to discuss cooperation issues. 

First Deputy Agriculture and Environmental Protection Minister, Sulton Valiyev, and the Agriculture and Environmental Protection Ministry planting-growing department head Sharif Boboshoyev are representing Tajikistan at this meeting. 

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection (MoAEP), establishment of ECO agricultural biotechnology network is one of the major topics on the agenda of this meeting. 

Biotechnology is one of ways to provide food security and the Eco member nations are now pay special attention to this issue. 

The source at a MoAEP noted that the meeting is also aiming to consider regional agricultural programs, procurement of seeds in member nations of ECO, as well as technical cooperation between them to support reconstruction of Afghanistan’s economy.

The meeting is also expected to consider issues related to establishment of regional disaster response center as wells bank of plants’ genes, “center for development of policy and economic studies in agrarian sector.”     

In the meantime, IRNA quoted Iran’s Deputy Agriculture Jihad Minister for international affairs and development of cooperation with Africa, Farid Ejlali, as saying that the third OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) agriculture ministers meeting will be held in Tehran on March 17.  According to him, the upcoming event will be headed by the Agriculture Jihad Minister Mohammad-Reza Eskandari and will be attended by the agriculture ministers of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Pakistan as well as senior delegations from five other ECO member states, including Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Turning to the prospect of cooperation between ECO and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on providing food security, Ejlali said that a 300,000-dollar agreement is expected to be signed by representatives of the two bodies.  "Meanwhile, four other agreements on management of water resources, campaign against famine, protection of plants and cooperation in the domain of veterinary will also be inked during the meeting," he added.