Home Appliance Exports Exceed $130 Million in Five Months

Iran exported 99,000 tons of home appliances worth $139 million during the five months to Aug. 21. 
According to Mohsen Montazeri, an official with Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, refrigerators, freezers, evaporative coolers, washing machines, water heaters, stove, television sets, blenders, electric fans for oven, furniture and dishware were Iran’s main exported products.
Iraq, Afghanistan, Oman, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Italy were among the main destinations, ILNA reported. 
“A total of $243 million worth of household goods, mostly intermediate goods, were also imported during the period,” Montazeri said. 
According to Hamidreza Ghaznavi, the spokesman of Home Appliances Manufacturers Union, until the last Iranian year, which ended on March 19, 2020, imports accounted for 60% of the household appliance market. 
“The sudden departure of international companies from Iran’s market due to US sanctions and problems regarding the supply of raw materials are to blame for the lack of balance between supply and demand, and the rise in prices. It is about a month now that foreign currency has not been allocated to the industry and no one wants to be accountable. In addition, high quality steel sheet is needed to make home appliances, the only producer of which is Mobarakeh Steel Company. But a flawed distribution system has created more profit for the middlemen than the manufacturers,” he said.