Tightening policing measures alone is not enough to curb smuggling, said the chairman of Khorasan Razavi Textile Industries Association, adding that producers should be incentivized to manufacture competitive, quality products.
Ebrahim Dehqan said to manufacture textile of high quality, raw materials of high quality and advanced machinery are needed, the Persian newspaper Forsat-e Emrooz reported.
He also called for a 0% import tariff on raw materials since “the industry depends for a major part of its raw materials on imports.”
Dehqan referred to high cost of fine cotton due to increased rate of foreign currency rate as one of the main challenges facing the textile industry.
The official also called for reduced interest rates on loans to help manufacturers upgrade their machines and make quality clothes.
According to the Central Taskforce to Combat the Smuggling of Goods and Foreign Currency, rampant fabric smuggling into the country has cost 550,000 jobs over the past few years, Mehr News Agency reported.
