ISLAMABAD: Iran will prioritize Pakistan’s rice, meat, mango and other exports as part of a “landmark” trade understanding reached between the two countries in Tehran, the Pakistani government said on Monday.

The statement came after a high-level ministerial meeting between both sides on food security and agricultural cooperation. National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain led the Pakistani side. The meeting was co-chaired by his Iranian counterpart, Mr. Gholamreza Nourozi, and attended by senior representatives of key ministries, research institutions, and trade authorities from both countries.

Both sides reached an agreement for Iran to source a major portion of its rice imports from Pakistan for both government and private sector procurement, while the Iranian side assured of addressing longstanding challenges faced by Pakistani fruit exporters, particularly delays in issuance of import permits and foreign exchange allocations in Iran, according to Pakistan’s Press Information Department (PID).

“With these measures in place, exports of Pakistani mangoes to Iran are set to rise substantially,” the PID said, adding that the discussion also focused on Pakistan’s livestock and meat sector. “Iran agreed to focus on Pakistan as a principal supplier and to ensure that around 60 percent of its meat procurements are sourced from Pakistan.”

Similarly, Iran agreed to import large volumes of maize from Pakistan, with a commitment to resolve technical and procedural issues on priority and within the shortest possible time, according to the PID.

Recognizing the need for science-driven solutions in agriculture, both sides agreed to enhance cooperation between the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and Iranian research institutions.

“This collaboration will cover key areas of mutual advantage, including crop research, livestock breeding, water management, and innovation for farmers’ benefit,” the PID said.

Both sides reached a consensus on a wide range of facilitation measures aimed at easing agricultural trade, including faster customs clearance, establishment of warehouses and cold chain systems, and improvements in border

infrastructure to ensure perishable commodities reach markets efficiently and in prime quality.

“To ensure that these historic decisions are implemented effectively, a Joint Committee on Agricultural Cooperation was formally established,” the PID said. “The Committee will meet every six months to review progress, resolve emerging issues, and maintain the momentum of cooperation.”

The development comes more than a week after Pakistan and Iran signed agreements in the fields of politics, economy, culture and other vital sectors during Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to Pakistan, aimed at raising their bilateral trade to $10 billion.

Pakistan and Iran, which have remained at odds over instability along their porous border, have attempted to forge closer economic and investment ties through border markets and trade links in recent years.

“My deep belief is that we can easily, in a short time, increase the volume of our trade relations from the current $3 billion to the projected goal of $10 billion,” Pezeshkian told reporters during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and high-level delegations from both countries in attendance.

Both countries also discussed militancy along their shared border and exchanged 12 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for cooperation in science, technology and innovation, cooperation in information and communications technology, exchange programs for culture, art, tourism, youth, mass media and exports, cooperation in meteorology, climatology, tourism cooperation and other fields.