TEHRAN- In a meeting via webinar between Iranian Ambassador to Brazil Hossein Gharibi and Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply Tereza Cristina, the two sides explored the ways to expand cooperation in the fields of agriculture and livestock.

During the webinar which was held on Saturday, Gharibi referred to the status of agricultural products in the trade relations between the two countries and underlined Iran’s interest in long-term economic relations through a comprehensive framework and sustainable and balanced cooperation, IRNA reported.

Tereza Cristina, for her part, referred to Iran and Brazil as two friends with a long-standing background of cooperation.

She also expressed readiness for having a trip to Tehran in the post-coronavirus pandemic.

Agricultural products account for the major part of the trade between Iran and Brazil. These products consist of corn, soy, press cake, meat, and sugar.

Last year, the secretary of the Iran-Brazil Chamber of Commerce had said that the two countries were seeking to establish bartering systems in order to keep their trade afloat during the sanctions era.

“Currently, Brazil is one of the main providers of agricultural commodities to the country, however, we are facing some banking issues in our trade and that is why the two sides are looking at bartering as a solution to this problem,” Farhad Taherian told ILNA at the time.

According to the official, Iranian imports from the Latin American country are limited to 12 major commodities.

Of the total imports, 48 percent is corn, 24 percent is soy, while soybean oil, tobacco, and ethanol are other imported goods.

Petrochemical products such as urea, bitumen and petroleum are the main exported goods from Iran to Brazil, according to Taherian.

MA/MA