New Claims About the Plant Protection Organization
Recent reports and statements from some agricultural sector activists have once again raised claims about the activities of the country's Plant Protection Organization and the outsourcing of services to plant clinics. If true, these claims require investigation and accountability by the responsible authorities.
Outsourcing Processes to the Private Sector
According to these reports, the Plant Protection Organization has outsourced part of the export shipment approval processes to private sector plant clinics in recent years. Some activists in this field claim that non-transparent relationships have formed between some organization employees and certain clinics, and they speak of shared interests and rent-seeking in this sector. In this context, the name of one of the quarantine officials has also been mentioned in these claims. So far, no official response or documentation has been published by the named individuals or institutions regarding these claims, which require investigation and proof by competent authorities.
Strictness in Licensing
Some graduates and agricultural sector activists claim that the Plant Protection Organization imposes unconventional strictness in issuing licenses for establishing new clinics. This has led to limited competition and the continued operation of a limited number of clinics.
Export Issues and Parliamentary Investigation
These criticisms arise while in recent years, the return of some Iranian agricultural product export shipments by destination countries due to contamination or pesticide residues has repeatedly made headlines. This issue even led to a parliamentary investigation into the performance of the Plant Protection Organization. Among the investigation's focal points were the outsourcing of laboratories, the reason for the lack of equipment in laboratory centers, the status of pesticide residue control, and the examination of potential rent-seeking and conflict of interest within the organization's expert and managerial body.
Call for Transparency and Reforms
Critics believe that despite several years passing since these issues were raised, reports of irregularities, weak oversight, and lack of transparency in the performance of this organization affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad continue to be published. They call for a thorough investigation of the raised claims, public disclosure of investigation results, and reform of oversight mechanisms to ensure the safety of agricultural products, support healthy competition, and protect the reputation of Iran's exports in global markets.