A trade expert in Tehran criticized the recent attempts by the government to raise exports to Russia, calling them “politically driven.”
“The issue of exports to Russia has created real havoc in the market, and it will definitely not be sustainable. Such policymaking would damage the economy,” said a member of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, as quoted by ILNA.
Questioning the attempts to export fruits to Russia, Abbas Vatanpour said, “If we have extra fruit production we can export them to Russia. But we don’t; otherwise, what is the problem in the market? Why does the government need to import fruits in the off-season?”
The government has recently tried to increase exports of commodities, including fruits, to world markets including Russia. Its latest attempt in this regard is to provide subsidized shipments of fruits to other countries, including Russia, which has been hit in recent months with harsh western sanctions due to its stance on the Ukraine crisis.
The Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, Mojtaba Khosrotaj recently said that Iranian shipping lines must be equipped with high-tech refrigeration in order for Iran to have a bigger share in “Russia’s competitive market.”
Russia has already allowed the import of fisheries products from Iran, according to the head of the development and quality improvement office of Iran’s Fisheries Guild, Isa Golshahi.
“Shrimps and different sorts of fish will be exported to Russia in the coming weeks,” said Golshahi on Wednesday.
Currently, at least twenty Iranian companies are authorized to export fisheries products to Russia, he said.
