NABKA: A tool for linking rural and agro-economy to the national and international economy

EghtesadOnline: An official with the Agriculture-Jihad Ministry informed on the inauguration of a mega project titled "link of rural economy and agro-market system" (NABKA) that in its very nature is a systematic and scientific training system.

News ID: ۷۴۹۴۲۸

19 January 2020

Hossein Shirzad, who is also the chairman of the Board of the "Central Organization for Rural Cooperatives of Iran (CORC), in the unveiling session of NABKA, held on, January, 18th  on the " Iran Chamber of  Commerce, Industries Mines and Agriculture"(ICCIMA), said by applying NABKA, we are approaching the challenges of agricultural market with a new perspective.

"Including the positive as well the negative capacity building, NABKA searches the best innovative solutions to tackle the challenges of the agricultural market by pathology of it. By negative capacity building, means NABKA tries to teach us how to sustain in a  saturated market with many historically inherited risks, meanwhile, through the positive capacity building NABKA learn us how to improve market in a favorite situation.", he added.

Therefore, NABKA could be defined as a transitive phase of education from instinctive education to the systematic teaching system which not only promotes the commerce skill of the target groups but also their market and knowledge.

Noting that NABKA will to link the national market of the agricultural market to the international one, the official said the agricultural market suffers from two shortages, including institutional and data exchange deficits. Consequently, the production data have never been coordinated with the data of the international market. This problem impedes to access the emerging markets; therefore we always have been forced to sell the raw material rather than processed ones.

Emphasizing on the necessity of continuity of exporting as an essential principle to sustain in the international market, Shirzad noted the necessity of the comprehensive use of blockchains and startups through enjoying the capacities of Agro-joint stock corporations as the strong contractors to discover new field of production.

Shirzad, also asserted on the development of a fair pricing system, that fortunately has been accessed through applying the stock exchange market mechanism especially for saffron and tomato paste.

"Standard storage, transportation, and processing systems, contract farming, and efficient insurance system and branding are the primary needs  to access the international markets that could be met by the national agricultural unions", he added.

"The government should improve the packaging of the agricultural product, including saffron through export incentives; meanwhile we should modern harbors as well. Having more than 5 million hectare farms, nationwide, the rural production cooperatives (RPCs) are the best mechanism which could promote contract farming."

Confirming that the rural and agricultural cooperatives have the infrastructural facilities to meet the abovementioned needs, the deputy minister said the CORC experience on the "Saffron commodity Fund" as well as transaction of saffron, Estameran dates and tomato paste in the " Iran Mercantile Exchange " (IME) proves and by cooperation among public and private organization, this success story could be replicated for other crops, too.

"Securing the national interest requires to adopt a transparent pricing system, using IME facilities and development of agro-startups by rural and agricultural cooperatives through union and integrity", he added.