Head of the AREPO, a subsidiary of the Iranian Agriculture Ministry Mojtaba Khayyam Nekouyi , said on Monday that food demand in Iran will reach 180 million metric tons (mt) in 2031 when the country’s population is expected to reach 103 million.

Khayyam Nekouyi said that Iran’s agriculture output is currently responsible for 80% of a total food demand of 156 million (mt) in a country of nearly 85 million people, Press TV reported.

The deputy minister of agriculture said Iran will be capable of responding to its rising food demand in the next seven years if it uses a proper management system for its water and land resources, otherwise, with the continued trend in reduction of water resources and the increasing (global) food supply problems, the country’s food security will be at risk, he emphasized.

He said that average annual precipitation in Iran had fallen from 250 millimeters to 220 millimeters, adding that dwindling water supplies and lack of management on resources could pose a major risk to Iran’s food security in the future.

However, he said Iran could increase its agricultural output to respond to its food demand and cut back on imports with more efficient farming and water management techniques.

“We have the potentials and facilities for production of basic commodities needed in the country,” said the official.

Iran has introduced measures in recent years to increase activity in its agriculture sector.

The policy has been aimed at guaranteeing food security in the country at a time it faces trade restrictions because of US sanctions.

In its latest report, the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) released the economic statistics related to the Persian calendar month of Esfand (February-March 2023) which contains the latest data and economic statistics in the monetary and banking sectors, balance of payments and the capital market.

According to the report, the foreign debts of the country at the end of the previous Iranian calendar year reached $6.282 billion, showing a 27.6 percent decline compared to a year earlier.

The report also pointed to the settlement of $2.393 billion of the foreign debts of the country in this period.

The prosecutor general of Iran’s southern province of Kerman announced on Wednesday that the Intelligence Ministry forces have arrested the gun-runners after receiving information about the trafficking of a haul of contraband arms and ammunition into the province.

Mahdi Bakhshi said two “anti-security elements” of the gang with criminal records of involvement in smuggling and selling arms in the eastern parts of Iran have been arrested in the operation.

The intelligence agents of Jiroft in Kerman have confiscated 24 handguns, over 400 bullets and a vehicle from the gun-runners, he added.

The prosecutor general noted that the convicts had plans to transit the weapons to other provinces across the country.

In an open session on Sunday, members of the Iranian parliament (also called Majlis) approved a bill that had been submitted with two degrees of urgency to form the Ministry of Commerce.

Out of 238 votes cast in the session, some 129 lawmakers voted in the favor of the bill and another 101 voted against it while four lawmakers abstained.

Iran’s Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade has been responsible for Iran’s trade ties with the rest of the world since 2011 when the country dissolved its former commerce ministry.

However, critics of the merger have argued over the years that the decision has led to many problems in Iran’s trade activities, especially with regards to imports of basic goods, Press TV reported.

A lawmaker supporting the bill to set up the Ministry of Commerce said that Iran has been spending irregularly on certain imports due to lack of coordination between the Ministry of Industry and Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture which is responsible for imports of grains and animal feed.

“The fact that we pay $6.9 billion for imports from Turkey is the result of the absence of the commerce ministry,” said Fathollah Tavassoli, as he made a reference to Iran’s imports from Turkey in the calendar year to late March.

However, critics of the bill said in the Saturday debate in Majlis that the formation of a separate ministry for trade would only lead to a major increase in Iran’s imports and would hardly help plans to boost exports from the country.

Iran Air CEO Shamseddin Farzadipour said on Sunday that the planes will be restored to the airline’s fleet as part of a comprehensive domestic repair program.

“Our priority is domestic repair and seven planes will become airworthy in the next six months,” Farzadi was quoted as saying by ILNA news agency.

He said IranAir plans to use the planes in busy travel routes to Iraq which mostly accommodates Iranian pilgrims visiting holy shrines in the Arab country.

Iran has supported a home-grown aircraft repair program in response to US sanctions that have barred the country from accessing spare parts and maintenance services by foreign companies, Press TV reported.

The program has expanded to cover planes operated by foreign companies that have suffered because of Western sanctions.

Reports in September showed that nine Russian passenger planes were in Iran to receive maintenance.

Several Iranian airlines have already added repaired aircraft to their active fleet.

Qeshm Air announced in February that it had restored an Airbus A320 after 11 years of grounding.

A Boeing 737 returned to the fleet of Iran’s third largest carrier Aseman Airlines later that month after a successful test flight. Aseman had earlier restored a Fokker 100 by replacing its engine.

The Iranian government says it has earmarked proper funding to support domestic airlines in their efforts to restore some 100 jetliners that have remained grounded because of parts shortages as a result of US sanctions.

The agreement to organize and manage Iran and the UAE’s air transport services was signed by Head of ICAO Mohammad Mohammadi and Director General of the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi.

The agreement is aimed at facilitating the integrated management of air transportation services between the two countries. It will also increase the trade tourism opportunities and strengthen air transportation ties between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

The Emirati official described the agreement with Iran as a giant step in organizing flights between the two countries.

The expansion of air transportation services network between Iran and the UAE will benefit the airlines of the two nations, he added, noting that the agreement will help create trade and tourism opportunities, bolster economic cooperation between traders and commercial companies, and encourage free competition.

The agreement emphasizes on adhering to the highest standard level of health, security and quality in the aviation industry.

During the meeting, Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Ehsan Khandouzi highlighted the policies adopted by the administration of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the development of economic relations with the Muslim countries.

“Given the high interest of the Algerian side, it was agreed that the topics of discussion would be thoroughly investigated by expert teams of the two countries by the end of the current month to increase trade and investment between the two countries,” the Iranian minister said.

Iran and Algeria enjoy high potentials and capacities especially in economic field to boost their level of cooperation optimally, he emphasized.

In the meeting, the two sides also agreed to pave suitable ways for the approval of topics of economic cooperation.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum with 21 members in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

In this expert-level meeting, headed by the Philippines as the current coordinator of the region, the candidacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran was raised for this position and it was unanimously approved by the member countries.

In the tripartite system of the International Labor Organization, the group of governments are organized within the framework of four regional groups including Asia and Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa and play a key role in the decision-making assemblies.

The regional coordinators are responsible for forging relations of the organization with member states and also representatives of countries of respective regions in decision-making meetings including screening group meetings, the Board of Directors’ meetings, and specialized meetings of the International Labor Conference.

Iran and Venezuela have high potentials and capabilities to increase their trade volume, said Seyed Rouhollah Latifi, spokesman for Trade Promotion Commission of the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade.

He pointed to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to three Latin American countries of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, adding that more than 49,000 tons of non-oil products worth $118,101,832 were exported to Venezuela last year.

It shows a 416 percent increase compared to the same period a year earlier, he noted.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Latifi referred to Iran’s import of non-oil goods from Venezuela and noted that about eight tons of non-oil commodities, valued at $816,000, were imported into the country from Venezuela last year.

Iran also imported about 188 tons of non-oil goods, valued at $11.858 million, from Cuba in 2022, the spokesman continued.

Regarding Iran’s trade with Venezuela, he stated that Iran exported autos, spare parts, fishery products, sweets, pastries, tomato pastes, engine oils, chemicals, medicines, vaccines, fertilizers, detergents, handicrafts, ceramics, types of pipes and profiles, die-casting machinery, etc. to Venezuela from March 21, 2022 to March 20, 2023.

The visit by Raisi to the three Latin American countries could play a constructive role in the development of trade and economic ties as well as the export of technical and engineering services, he went on to say.