TEHRAN – Head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Alireza Peyman-Pak said supporting knowledge-based export companies will be among TPO’s top priorities in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21).

“We are trying to shift export incentives to knowledge-based companies in the current year,” Peyman-Pak said in a press conference on Monday.

As TPO reported, emphasizing the use of innovative methods in foreign trade, the official said: "The development of online businesses, development of creative industries, the use of business-to-business (B2B) systems and activities in the field of cryptocurrencies and the transition from traditional to modern trading will be pursued in this regard."

Exports of value-added products on agenda

He further referred to his organization’s programs for promoting the exports of products with more value-added and the prevention of crude sales, saying: “In this regard, we tried to enter the target markets and increase export profits by taking advantage of business-to-consumer (B2C) platforms and applications, and by connecting to distribution networks and retailers.”

Emphasizing the importance of export-oriented production, Peyman-Pak said: "We have tried to have an export-oriented approach in the areas where we have an advantage, and not in such a way that only surplus consumption is exported."

New measures taken to promote foreign trade

The official also underlined the measures taken to remove barriers in the way of foreign trade, noting: “TPO has taken new steps in various areas including customs, support for traders abroad, the active presence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issuing visas, focusing on foreign trade issues in joint committee meetings, signing new agreements on trade laws and regulations and efforts have been made to pay special attention to the support of foreign trade in the country's macro-policy outlooks.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Peyman-Pak stressed the need for coordination among government entities related to foreign trade, saying: "Laws and regulations that protect domestic economic sectors should not be in conflict with foreign trade and the necessary coordination should be made between domestic market regulation policies and foreign trade development policies.”

The TPO head also mentioned the activation of trade corridors, including the north-south and east-west corridors by the Transport and Urban Development Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and said: "Due to the activation of these corridors and the creation of new foreign trade opportunities, the country's income from this sector increased 2.5 times last year.”

Exporting $20b of technical services targeted

Referring to the growth of the exports of technical and engineering services, he said: "The exports of technical and engineering services which was $480 million in the year 1399 (ended on March 20, 2021) reached more than $2.3 billion last year, and considering new contracts that have been signed the increase in the exports of such services will continue in the current year.”

According to Peyman-Pak, TPO has targeted exporting $20 billion of technical and engineering services, of which this year $6 billion is expected to be realized.

EF/MA