Iran struggling to boost non-oil exports
TEHRAN, Jan 11 (AFP) - Iran, the second largest oil producer in the
Middle East, is taking steps to boost non-oil exports to make up for falling
revenues from crude sales, an export official said Monday.
Mojtaba Khosrotaj, the director of Iran's exports promotion center,
told a press conference that his country would stage a major exhibition
of exportable products in early February to attract foreign consumers and
ease its near total dependence on oil sales.
The products range from detergents and household durables to leather
and cosmetics, he said, adding that the center was mainly targetting such
economic partners as Italy, Japan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates
(UAE).
Iran, which relies on crude exports for over 80 percent of its hard
currency income, has seen a sharp drop in such revenues in the past year
because of plummeting oil prices.
Khosrotaj said Iran's non-oil exports had declined in value by 11 percent
in the past year, although their volume had increased by 40 percent.
He blamed the inferior quality of Iranian goods for their failure to
compete on international markets. "Iranian goods are not produced
for foreign markets," he lamented.
He said that a "past policy of seeking economic self-sufficiency
rather than one to promote exports has meant producers are often ignorant
of export and trade mechanisms."
"Producers are further hindered by excessive regulations and varying
exchange rates," he said. Iran tightly regulates trade, imports in
particular, in an effort to prevent precious foreign currency from leaving
the country.
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