Prioritization of Agricultural Processing and Complementary Industries in Azarshahr County by Delphi and TOPSIS Combined Methods

Agriculture as a main economic activity of Azarshahr County is facing with fundamental problems (lack of proper marketing، high losses، low price of products and …). Most of these problems can be solved by creating agricultural products processing industries. Also، some of the region''s economic and social problems such as lack of adequate employment، hidden unemployment and low income، can be improved by creating such industries. Agriculture in Azarshahr، according to the statistics of this county، annually produces over one million tons of agricultural products and overproduction in some agricultural and animal productions، such as horticultural and livestock products، which is indicative of necessary attention for establishment of agricultural processing and complementary industries in this county. This paper tries to determine Azarshahr County suitable processing and complementary industries and for this goal according to descriptive-analytical methodology; first we recognized the goals and then prioritized the industries using data gathered from experts and professionals in Agricultural Organization of East Azerbaijan Province and Azarshahr County and using combined Delphi and TOPSIS techniques. Results show that in Azarshahr County priory attention should be paid to processing industries related to livestock products because of higher overproduction and also rapid spoil ability of products، and thereby، industries related to horticultural products because of their important role in suitable using of regions agricultural products.