In a meeting with Agriculture Ministry officials and staff on Monday, Rouhani emphasized the necessity for making the country self-sufficient in agricultural and cattle products.
Praising farmers for bearing the burden of food security in Iran, the president said security would be meaningless if there were public concerns about the supply of food products.
While farmers ensure food security in Iran, the administration is responsible to ensure their security as well, Rouhani said, adding that a farmer with concerns about producing and selling farm products could not naturally create security for the society.
He then highlighted the need for plans to settle the problems that farmers are grappling with, including drought, pests, extreme weather and lack of water.
While many people believe that Iran has problems in developing advanced technologies and high-tech industries, the country has actually difficulty in supplying forage, corn, and input for the cattle industry, and imports a large amount of such products each year, the president noted.
“We must stand on our own feet in supplying food stuff and satisfy our demands through Iranian farms,” he added.