TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian Industry, Mining and Trade Minister has said the country is on the verge of self-sufficiency in the production of various types of home appliances, IRNA reported.

“Despite the economic sanctions, the production of home appliances in the country has grown significantly and we are on the verge of achieving self-sufficiency in the production of various types in this field,” Alireza Razm Hosseini said on Saturday.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of a washing machine production line in Khorasan Razavi Province, Razm Hosseini said: “over 13 million home appliances were produced in the country in the previous [Iranian calendar] year (ended on March 20), which was a great achievement for the industry.”

The official noted that the growth in the home appliance industry shows the surge of domestic manufacturing in this field, saying: “in the near future the Iranian home appliance market will no longer need foreign brands.”

Over the past few years, the Iranian government has been following a new strategy for supporting domestic production to neutralize the impacts of the U.S. sanctions while reducing the reliance of the economy on oil revenues.

The home appliances sector has been one of the pioneers in this regard and like many other areas, the production of home appliances has witnessed a significant rise in the past two years.

Back in May, Iran’s Deputy Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Mehdi Sadeqi Niaraki said that the country’s home appliance industry experienced 78-percent growth in the past Iranian calendar year.

The growth was achieved despite the restrictions on the manufacturing sector, the official said, adding, “While foreign brands left Iran, manufacturers were able to achieve this leap by relying on domestic capacities.”

Niaraki had previously said that considering the Iranian home appliance industry’s infrastructure and capacities, the country will be able to become a net exporter of such products in the near future because most of the raw materials needed by the mentioned sector are produced domestically.

“Today we have the necessary manpower, knowledge, and infrastructure in the field, so there is no reason to look for foreign sources to meet the country’s demands,” he said in early April.