TEHRAN – Iranian industry, mining, and trade minister outlined his ministry’s main programs for supporting the domestic production in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 20), which is named the year of “Surge in Production”, Tasnim news agency reported.

Reza Rahmani elaborated on the ministry’s seven main axes of the surge in production that are going to be pursued under 40 major programs.

Developing technology and promoting knowledge-based industries, development of domestic production in line with the Leader’s stresses on surge in production, managing imports and development of non-oil exports, improving the business environment, development of financing and investment and finally development of logistics were reported to be the seven major axes of the Industry, Mining and Trade Ministry’s works in the current year, which is named “Surge in Production” by the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.

Stressing the role of knowledge and technology in the improvement of domestic production, Rahmani noted that the ministry has it on the agenda to support such companies.

“The exports of products made by knowledge-based companies are going to be the priority in the country’s exports basket in the current year,” the official stressed.

He further noted that the imports of consumer products would be seriously restricted as such imports were decreased to only 10 percent of the total imports in the previous calendar year (ended on March 19).

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rahmani mentioned the increase in production of healthcare products in the country, saying that the production of protective face masks is going to increase to four million a day in the coming week.

He said his ministry is taking all the measures under the protocols adopted by the Health Ministry and is acting in coordination with the national headquarters for the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

The minister also said that the country’s production of washing liquids and alcohol has grown eight-fold and twenty-fold respectively in less than two months.

EF/MA