Iran Food Expo 2025 focuses on technological imports, sustainable exports, production chain – Tehran Times

Report on the Strategic Redefinition of Iran’s Food Industry and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

The upcoming Iran Food Expo 2025, scheduled for December 3-6, is positioned as a pivotal event for redefining the strategic direction of Iran’s food industry. A proposed three-pillar framework—focusing on technological imports, sustainable exports, and an integrated production chain—aims to enhance competitiveness and align the sector with key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

A Three-Pillar Strategy for Sustainable Industrial Growth

The future security and competitiveness of Iran’s food industry are contingent upon a coordinated, long-term strategy built on three interdependent pillars. This integrated approach is essential for leveraging regional and global market capacities and advancing national sustainable development objectives.

1. Targeted Technological Imports: Fostering innovation and building resilient industrial infrastructure.
2. Sustainable, Value-Added Exports: Promoting sustained economic growth and responsible production.
3. Integrated Production Chain: Ensuring food security and creating value from agricultural resources.

Pillar I: Technological Imports for Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9)

This pillar reframes imports as a strategic tool for industrial advancement rather than merely a means to meet domestic consumption. By focusing on smart imports, the industry can directly contribute to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

• Objective: To utilize imports as a catalyst for enhancing technology, quality, and innovation within the domestic production landscape.
• Key Actions: Prioritize the entry of standard raw materials, modern machinery, and advanced technological equipment.
• SDG Alignment: Such targeted imports are critical for upgrading the nation’s industrial structure, fostering innovation, and enabling the production of goods that meet global quality and export standards, thereby promoting sustainable industrialization.

Pillar II: Sustainable Exports for Economic Growth (SDG 8 & SDG 12)

The second pillar emphasizes a strategic shift from exporting raw agricultural materials to high-value, processed goods. This strategy is fundamental to achieving SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and supports the principles of SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

• Objective: To establish a stable and long-term position in regional and global markets through competitive, value-added products.
• Key Actions: Convert raw agricultural output into finished goods that meet international standards and possess a competitive advantage derived from superior technology and quality.
• SDG Alignment: This approach moves beyond temporary, luck-based trade, fostering sustained economic growth by integrating exports into the core production cycle. It promotes responsible production patterns by maximizing the value derived from natural resources.

Pillar III: Production Chain Integration for Food Security (SDG 2)

The third pillar, an efficient and coherent production chain, serves as the backbone for creating added value and ensuring the industry’s contribution to national food security, directly addressing the aims of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).

• Objective: To create a seamless and coordinated system from agriculture through processing and packaging to deliver competitive final products.
• Key Actions: Strengthen the linkages between agriculture, processing industries, and packaging sectors to enhance quality, standardization, and export readiness.
• SDG Alignment: By transforming raw materials into commodities with a distinct commercial identity, this pillar enhances the food system’s efficiency and value creation. This is a necessary condition for improving food security and promoting sustainable agriculture.

The Role of Iran Food Expo 2025 in Fostering Partnerships (SDG 17)

The Iran Food Expo 2025 is designed to be more than a trade exhibition; it is a strategic platform for operationalizing this three-pillar vision and advancing SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

• Function: The expo will facilitate critical interaction and collaboration among producers, technologists, supply chain managers, and policymakers.
• Outcome: This multi-stakeholder engagement is expected to generate an integrated perspective on the industry’s needs, paving the way for precise, evidence-based policymaking.
• Conclusion: By fostering partnerships, the expo aims to transform Iran from a producer into an influential regional hub for food industries, fully aligned with global sustainable development targets. Success requires a comprehensive vision and long-term planning, positioning the expo as a defining moment for the industry’s future.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger – The article’s focus on improving the food industry chain, processing agricultural products, and creating a sustainable food industry directly relates to building resilient food systems.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The emphasis on increasing the competitiveness of the food industry, creating added value, and achieving sustainable development of the industry aligns with promoting economic productivity and growth.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – The article explicitly discusses the need for technological imports, modern machinery, innovation, and developing processing industries, which are core components of this goal.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – The call for an “efficient production chain” and transforming raw materials into high-quality, standardized products touches upon sustainable production patterns.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – The discussion on sustainable exports, leveraging regional and global markets, and targeted imports highlights the importance of international trade and partnerships for development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

• Target 2.3: Double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers. The article supports this by advocating for a production chain that creates “added value” from agricultural products, which would increase the value derived from primary production.
• Target 2.a: Increase investment in agricultural research and technology development. The article directly calls for “technological imports,” “modern machinery, and technological equipment” to enhance the production of goods.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation. The article’s central theme is to secure the future of the food industry through “technological imports,” which will “enhance technology and quality” and prevent the reduction of “innovation.”

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

• Target 9.2: Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization. The article aims to redefine the “development path of Iran’s food industry” by strengthening “processing industries” and transforming Iran into “an influential player in the region.”
• Target 9.b: Support domestic technology development, research and innovation. The article argues that “smart imports are a link in the production chain” that enables the “rebuilding the country’s industrial structure” and enhances domestic production capabilities.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Target 17.11: Significantly increase the exports of developing countries. A major pillar discussed is “sustainable exports,” with the goal of converting raw materials into “goods that are competitive in regional and global markets” and gaining “significant shares in foreign markets.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Indicators for SDG 2 and SDG 9

• Value-added in the food industry: The article implies this as a key metric by stating that “real value is created when a product is transformed into a commodity with a commercial and export identity,” as opposed to just “selling raw materials.”
• Level of technology adoption: Progress can be measured by the volume and sophistication of “modern machinery, and technological equipment” imported and integrated into the production chain.

Indicators for SDG 8 and SDG 9

• Competitiveness of domestic products: The article mentions measuring the “competitive ability of domestic producers” and whether the final product possesses a “competitive advantage derived from technology and quality” in international markets.

Indicators for SDG 17

• Export performance: A direct indicator is the success of “sustainable exports.” This can be measured by the volume, value, and diversity of processed food products exported, and Iran’s overall “share in foreign markets.”
• Regional industry status: A qualitative indicator of success would be whether Iran becomes a “regional hub for food industries,” as envisioned in the article.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: tehrantimes.com