Strategic Planning for Production of Transgenic Plants in Iran Based on the Opinion of Experts in Kerman Province

Today, producing genetically modified plants including transgenic plants is a new strategy of increasing the quantity and quality of agricultural products globally. Thus, this study investigated the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the production of transgenic plants in Iran by using SWOT analysis and the best strategies are presented for planning to produce them. Required statistics and information were collected from library studies and 27 questionnaires were completed by experts in Kerman province. The findings showed that, the opportunities of transgenic plant production include rich biological resources and the potential to develop research centers. On the other hand, the threats involve a high risk of investment in research on genetic engineering and the biological biosafety laws. The most important strengths for producing these plants in Iran are: helping to eliminate malnutrition, increasing food security, increasing productivity, and the high initial cost of production, and the need for new technology and equipment are the most important weaknesses. Weaknesses-Opportunities (WO) strategies were identified as the most suitable strategies for planning the production of transgenic plants in Iran. The results also showed that the most important strategies for producing these plants in Iran are; attracting the cooperation and investments of domestic and foreign NGOs, enhancing research on transgenic plants, setting targets and assigning responsibility to relevant institutions to produce the needed equipment and materials to produce these plants, increasing the level of farmers’ information, and gaining their trust in transgenic plants through pilot cultivation.