YEREVAN. – Organic fertilizers, made by farmer households in Iran, have been displayed in Yerevan.

Guests from Iran and Georgia were invited to the rural life and traditions fest, held annually by Green Lane NGO and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and the administration of Yerevan.

Iranian agricultural products were brought by Hormod Sustainable Development Institute, based in Tehran. Visitors were able to see organic saffron, (9/10 of saffron sold globally, and considered the world’s most valuable spice, is produced in Iran), as well as haseer, a fabric woven from palm leaves, typical for the southeastern part of the country, Sistan and Balocistan.

Alongside traditional products, made by generations of farmers, the exhibition showed an innovation they learned and now successfully employ, namely organic compost processed by certain types of worms.

In 2014, the institute sent experts for training courses to villages in the provinces of Mazandaran and Golestan, by the Caspian Sea.

Farmers were taught to make vermicompost from kitchen waste. They now use it instead of chemical fertilizers, keeping their water sources from wastewater pollution, and their land from overuse of chemicals, says the chairman of the Hormod Institute, Mr Javad Razmi.

“We are here today not so much to look for sales opportunities, but rather to expose the culture and tradition of our country. In any case, we believe this will help any further cooperation across the border”, he said.