Aras Tarla Amir Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Iranian Horticultural Research Institute for mass production of hybrid seeds in order to achieve technological-based improvement of crops, reduce the need for imports, and cut down the cost of purchasing these seeds.

This memorandum of understanding was signed on July 28, 2020, between Aras Tarla Amir Company, represented by Mr. Yousef Ebrahimi (Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors), and the Iranian Horticultural Research Institute, represented by Mr. Shokrallah Hajivand (the Head of the Iranian Horticultural Research Institute).

One of the strategies to promote and organize the Iranian seed industry is the domestic supply of high-quality seeds by producing parental lines and also propagating and rearing hybrid seeds of vegetables and summer crops.

The objectives of this memorandum of understanding are as follows:

• Resistance economy:
• Participation in meeting domestic needs and increasing Iran’s self-sufficiency in the supply and production of hybrid seeds of vegetables and summer crops
• Participation in meeting domestic needs, increasing Iran’s self-sufficiency, and developing exports in the supply and production of open-pollinated seeds of vegetables and summer crops
• Participation in the quantitative and qualitative improvement of vegetables and summer crops by producing parental lines of commercial hybrids and producing new varieties
• Participation in production and sustainable development of units producing vegetables and summer crops
• Creation of jobs

The subject of this memorandum of understanding is as follows:

• Cooperation in propagating and rearing seeds of hybrid cultivars of vegetables and summer crops whose parental lines are provided
• Cooperation in producing parental lines of hybrid cultivars of vegetables and summer crops
• Cooperation in propagating and rearing seeds of open-pollinated cultivars of vegetables and summer crops

Obligations of the parties to this memorandum of understanding are as follows:

• Financing the production of parental lines of commercial hybrid seeds
• Providing the existing capacities to create baseline population, produce parental lines, assess combinability, and select parental lines for producing commercial hybrid seeds
• Creating the necessary infrastructure to produce lines and hybrid seeds of vegetables and summer crops
• Taking the necessary measures to produce, market, and sell seeds

The seeds used in Iranian greenhouses are imported. Most greenhouses in Iran use hybrid seeds due to their high efficiency and resistance to drought and pests.

Iranian researchers of the Iranian Horticultural Research Institute and Aras Tarla Amir Company are trying to mass-produce hybrid seeds to prevent the outflow of millions of dollars from Iran.

Atavita is always striving to acquire the domestic technology of producing high-quality hybrid seeds to feed its greenhouses. The next step is to provide these products to the whole greenhouse farming sector of Iran to minimize the need for hybrid seeds import.