Azerbaijan, Baku, Sep.17/ Trend, F. Karimov/
Iran's agriculture sector has not been affected by international sanctions, the Fars News Agency quoted Iranian deputy agriculture minister Nasser Tavakkoli as saying.
Although some agricultural products are being imported, but this sector has the capacity to provide food for 200 million people, he added.
In January, IRNA quoted Tavakkoli as saying that Iran plans to increase its agricultural exports to 118 million tons in the current Iranian calendar year from 107 million tons in the past year.
In August, ILNA quoted head of the national union of agricultural exports, Reza Nourani, as saying that Iran's fruit exports have been reduced sharply due to the international sanctions.
Some 35 million tons of fruits and vegetable are being produced in the country, but just 5 percent of which is exported, he added.
Unfortunately, domestic farmers are intensifying the effects of sanctions by saying that exports of fruits and vegetables are not economically justified, he said.
In July, head of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, Hamid Safdel, said that Iran exported $4.2 billion worth of agricultural products in the past Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20.
Based on statistics, Iran is ranked 30th worldwide in terms of exporting food products, the official mentioned.