The Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade has added foreign handicrafts to the list of banned imports upon the request of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.
"Imported handicrafts, mostly from Turkey, India and China, have disrupted the business of domestic producers," Pouya Mahmoudian, ICHHTO's deputy for Handicrafts and Traditional Arts, was quoted as saying by IRNA.
"The decision was made following two months of negotiations with the Trade Promotion Organization, the Ministry of Industries and Iran Customs Administration," she said, adding that the directive has been communicated to all customs offices across the country.
A report published on Eghtesadnews website shows that $4.3 million worth of carpets and handicrafts were brought into the country during the eight months to November 22, 2017, indicating a 375% growth compared with the same period last year.
ICHHTO had proposed levying a 25% tariff on handicrafts imports which was rejected by the Ministry of Industries.
The move is in keeping with the government's recent policy to limit the import of non-essential goods, mainly aiming to ease pressure on the country's foreign exchange resources.
Back in June, the government banned the import of 1,339 commodities categorized as "non-essential goods with domestic counterparts."
