At the third national conference on "Applied Research on Food Security, Processing, Safety and Health," hosted by the Research Institute of Food Science and Technology (RIFST) in Mashhad coinciding with World Food Day, the FAO representative in Iran as the special guest emphasized the need to expand scientific and regional cooperation to achieve sustainable food security in his keynote speech
At the opening ceremony of the conference, which was attended by national officials, university professors, food industry experts, and prominent researchers from the country, Dr. Farrukh Toirov, FAO Representative in Iran, expressed his gratitude to the Research Institute of Food Science and Technology as the organizer and host of this scientific event and stated: "Since its establishment, especially after World War II, FAO has always strived to improve the state of global food security through cooperation between countries and scientific institutions."
The representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), referring to the role of scientific and research institutions in advancing global food goals, added: “Strengthening scientific, research and technological interactions between research centers, governments and the private sector is the key to achieving sustainable food security."
Applied research in the field of agriculture and food industries can increase the capacity of societies to deal with nutritional, climate and economic challenges.” Dr. Farrukh Toirov continued by stating that about 10 percent of the world’s population still does not have access to enough food, and said: “The main problem is not lack of production, but rather unfair distribution and unequal access to food resources."
"Countries in the region should move towards sustainable food security by sharing scientific experiences and expanding agricultural cooperation." He also expressed his satisfaction with Iran's rich agricultural capacities, especially in the production of saffron and pistachios, and said: "FAO supports any scientific and economic cooperation to better introduce Iran's agricultural products at the global level." At the end of this speech, the FAO representative was awarded the special food security emblem of the Conference.