TEHRAN (Iran News) –Head of National Union of Agricultural Products of Iran says international banking channels are not yet open for Iranian traders as Iran’s kiwi export to India is still forbidden.
Speaking to ILNA, Reza Noorani said that international banking channels for Iranian traders are yet close and therefore Iranian traders have to give their earned forex from their exports to the local forex shops and they change it into rials in return. He added that 95% of Iran’s exports to the Persian Gulf states are done based on consignment sales and the consignment sale is controlled by the market than exporters and therefore Iranian exporters have to bargain with several producing countries in order to ultimately export their products.
Noorani went on to say that Iran’s exports to India will resume from mid-September, adding that apple is the most important exporting agro products of Iran to India and currently there is no apple in the warehouses to be exported to India, as export of kiwi to this country is still forbidden.
He termed Persian Gulf and CIS states as the major customers of Iranian agro products, adding that currently forex regulations and mandatory forex undertaking has turned into a headache for Iranian exporters because there is no free route for return of the forex to the country in the sanctions era.
He also criticized lack of standard road and marine transportation networks for exports of agro products and flowers, adding that that road routes need to be reconstructed and due to the shortage of refrigerated containers, one cannot hope expansion of agro products export.
Noorani reiterated that in order to develop exports, all infrastructures in this field should be readied in order to get rid of problems for exporting greenhouse products in the second half of the year.
Touching upon Iraq government’s decision on slapping ban for imports of some agro products from Iran, he said that all should wait and see whether Iraq will be able to be self-sufficient in producing the banned agro items or not.
Noorani went on to say that agro products in Iran are on the rise and therefore officials should think about it in a way that laws like what were approved in Iraq would not affect Iran’s exports.
On exports to Russia, he said agro exports to Russia are limited and prices of some goods have declined and it makes difficult their exports in such a condition, adding that currently Iran exports tomato, vegetables, bell pepper and summer crops.
