TEHRAN- Morteza Bank, the secretary of Iran’s Free Zones High Council, announced that customs offices will be established in all seven free trade zones of the country by the end of current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2019).

The official said through good cooperation of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), customs offices were set up in three free trade zones over the past months, Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday.

Naming Arvand Free Trade Zone in the southwestern province of Khuzestan as one of the three mentioned zones where the customs offices have been established, Bank said that they are the most important zones in the country.

Establishment of free trade zones in Iran dates back to Iranian calendar year 1368 (March 1989-March 1990) following the fall in the country’s oil income in the preceding year which prompted the government to promote the non-oil exports.

While near three decades have passed since start of free trade zones activity in Iran, their planned objectives have not been fully achieved and their development is still facing some impediments.  

Lack of proportion between the facilities and the objectives, lack of a national definition for these zones’ performance, limited resources for establishment and completion of infrastructures, no comprehensive management between the zones, and not complete implementation of zones management law are some of the barriers in the way of free zones’ activity and development in the country.

MA