Local stationery production currently meets 80% of domestic demand for pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners and erasers, up from 20% two years ago, says the head of Stationery and Engineering Equipment Union.
“In fact, imports of pencils and pens have been banned since the month ending June 20, 2020. Only a small volume of drawing pencils, luxury and designer pens are imported mostly from China, South Korea, Indonesia, India and Japan. Most notebooks are also imported from India and Indonesia,” Mousa Farzanian was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
Noting that demand for stationery has declined by 70% this year, he said, “Sales of stationery are at their peak from July to October, but the outbreak of coronavirus has pushed down sales to less than 30% of last year.”
According to the CEO of Iranian-Islamic Stationery Assembly Mohammad Yaqini, the coronavirus pandemic has reduced Iran’s stationery market to a third.
Iran’s 34 stationery producers have created jobs for 5,000 people, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade.
There are eight pen manufacturers in the country with a total nominal production capacity of 656 million pens a year while domestic demand stands at 300-350 million per year. These firms have generated close to 1,000 jobs across the country, based on a recent report released by the Industries Ministry, IRNA reported.
A total of 57 million pens were imported into the country during the last Iranian year (March 2019-20) to register a 30.48% decline compared with the year before.
There are also four felt-tip pen production units with a nominal production capacity of 248.5 million marker pens per year. Domestic demand for felt-tip pens currently stands at 145-150 million per annum. These factories have provided employment for 890 people, the report reads.
A total of 80 million felt-tip pens were imported into Iran last year, indicating a 45.45% year-on-year rise.
Pencil production is currently underway in five factories with a nominal production capacity of 4.32 million per year. Domestic demand for pencils stands at 2.5 million annually.
Iran’s pencil production units have generated around 2,200 jobs.
In the fiscal 2019-20, more than 37,000 pencils were imported, which show a 94.47% YOY drop.
Notebooks are produced in five production units with a nominal production capacity of 2,546 tons (100 million notebooks). Annual domestic demand stands at 150-160 million notebooks.
Notebook imports experienced a 97.91% plunge last year to reach 2 tons only.
Iran's total nominal eraser production capacity is at 2,218 tons in four factories, which have created a total of 615 jobs. Domestic demand stands at 2,300 erasers per year.
Some 350 tons of erasers were imported into the country over the last Iranian year.
There are eight producers of measurement stationery in Iran with a nominal production capacity of 4,339 tons per year. These firms have employed 450 people.
Annual domestic demand for different kinds of measurement stationery stands at 1,500 tons.
The IRNA report did not provide figures on measuring instrument imports.
Schools reopened in Iran on Sept. 5 despite the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Some officials believe that the announcement of the early reopening of schools was so sudden that urban managers did not have sufficient time to take measures to manage the commuters and provide them with proper transport facilities.
The early start has also raised concerns among families about the safety of their children amid the pandemic.
President Hassan Rouhani on the occasion of the schools reopening gave an online speech marking the physical return of students to schools across the country, pointing out that education will continue “even under the harshest of circumstances”, his website reported.
Health experts believe that the most effective tool for minimizing the risk of virus infections spreading into schools is by restricting in-person learning.
Government Spokesman Ali Rabiei, however, later announced that attending schools is not mandatory.
