TEHRAN - Some 25 million tons of basic goods have been cleared from Iran’s customs during the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19), IRIB reported, quoting the head of Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).

According to Mehdi Mirashrafi, 35 million tons of commodities were imported into the country in the mentioned year, of which 25 million tons were basic goods.

Noting that the coronavirus outbreak has decreased the level of trade in the current Iranian calendar year, the official said: “This year, the trend has slowed down, and we hope that with the measures taken by the Central Bank [of Iran (CBI)], the Industry Ministry, and IRICA, we will be able to minimize the deposition of goods in the customs before and after clearance. In this regard, we are going to make a new proposal to the government through the Economy Ministry.”

“There are currently about four million tons of goods stored in the country’s ports, including both basic goods and regular commodities like raw materials, and machinery, so we need to take more specific inter-sectorial measures to facilitate the clearance process,” Mirashrafi added.

According to the official, the main reason for the prolonging of clearance processes has been related to money transfer issues and obtaining ownership documents.

Regarding the reduction of global trade due to the coronavirus outbreak, the IRICA head said: “It is predicted that the volume of trade in the world will decrease by 20 percent due to the outbreak of the coronavirus and Iran and West Asia are not exceptions.”

The official further noted that in the current year which has been called the year of “surge in production” by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Seyed Ali Khamenei, IRICA has prioritized export-facilitating policies and strategies.

EF/MA