All legally imported goods – including tea and rice from India – are perfectly safe to use while there is absolutely no guarantee over the smuggled food products, said head of the Iranian National Standards Organization (INSO) Nayereh Pirouzbakht.
In a meeting with members of the Indian Tea Association (ITA) to discuss import terms and conditions, Pirouzbakht, who is also deputy minister of industries, mine and trade, stressed the necessity of abiding by Iranian standards “as tea is the second most common drink in the country,” she told IRNA.
Indian officials who travelled to Iran to learn about Iran’s procedural standards and technical requirements for importing rice found Iranian standards far more stringent than international norms.
Stressing that scrutinizing tea and rice imports are in line with national standards of supervising food products and consumption, Pirouzbakht said the regulations would be “evaluated and revised if necessary” in order to boost trade between the two countries.
She also pointed to a working group that was recently formed to eliminate technical problems in the way of bilateral trade and enhance the quality of both countries’ exports.
The working group includes Iranian and Indian officials and is in charge of assessing standards regarding imports of tea, rice, and soy from India.
The imported Indian tea thus far has met the standards of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (which develops harmonized international food standards and codes in food trade) and ISO (International Organization for Standardization).
Pirouzbakht also cited “regional humidity” as an important factor in selecting India and Sri Lanka for tea imports even though it is not included in the international standard specifications. International standards provide leeway for every country to set its own import standards based on the circumstances and requirements.
“Three aspects of metrology, accreditation, and conformity were integrated in the new approach to standardization assessment, and all transactions based on the approach will strengthen and improve bilateral trade of the aforementioned products between Iran and India,” she added.
