MASHHAD -- A conference entitled "The Third Agriculture Economy of Iran", sponsored by the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture is to be convened between February 17 and March 1, 2001 in Mashhad, the capital city of Khorasan Province in northeast Iran.

The secretary of the conference, Dr. Mahmoud Daneshwar-Kakhaki said the main objective of the conference is exchanging viewpoints and trying to merge the economic, managerial and agricultural experiences of Iranian experts in order to reach agricultural self-sufficiency through boosting the domestic agricultural economy.

Talking to IRNA, Dr. Kakhaki announced, " This mainly practical gathering of Iranian experts is aimed at presenting most up-to-date scientific achievements in industrial agriculture, and finding practical ways for strengthening the country's agricultural economy in order to reduce too much dependence on oil revenues.

He also cited promotion of research works in agricultural fields and introduction of scientific managerial methods in agricultural activities as other objectives of the gathering.

With an annual production of eight million tons of agricultural products, Khorasan Province is one of the major agriculture poles of Iran. The agricultural products of this province mainly include around one million tons of fruits, two million tons of sugar beet, and one million tons of wheat annually. (IRNA)