TEHRAN- Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) is planning to hold a conference on the stable supply of basic and strategic commodities on March 3, the organization’s Public Relations Department reported.

The conference will be participated by a number of trade sector’s officials, Farhad Nouri, the acting director of TPO department of commodities and services export development, announced and said the conference is aimed at materializing the general policies of “Resistance Economy” in terms of economic self-reliance.

Nouri, who is the secretary of the conference, further said that the gathering is tried to find the practical approaches for the sustainable supply of basic and strategic commodities through gathering importers of these commodities, suppliers of funds and banking facilities, insurers, transportation and customs representatives, and some wholesalers together.

Last month, Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Reza Rahmani said the basic goods that the country needs in the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 19, 2020) and also in the next year have been reserved.

The minister said the government and private sector’s warehouses are already filled up with the basic commodities and there is no concern in this due.

Also, the deputy finance and economic affairs minister has announced that the government has provisioned $14 billion of official-rate foreign currency in the next Iranian calendar year (March 2020-March 2021)’s budget bill for imports of basic goods.

Importers of rice, barley, corn, edible oils, oilseeds, and livestock feed, as well as medicines and a few other items are going to receive the government support, according to Mohammad-Ali Dehqan Dehnavi.

“The government has identified these goods as the basic needs of the people and has decided to keep the prices of such items low in the market, so $14 billion of currency with official rate will be provided to the importers of these commodities next year,” Dehnavi said.

Meanwhile, in a new directive earlier this month, Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) obliged the customs departments throughout the country to take necessary measures (mentioned in the new instruction) for facilitation of the clearance of basic goods.

As the sanctions may make the country face shortage of basic goods, the government and IRICA have taken various measures to avoid such condition.

One major action is facilitating condition for the importers of the basic commodities, for example providing them with required foreign currency through NIMA (Iran’s Forex Management Integrated System).

In August, 2019, Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Farhad Dejpasand, in a directive addressing the IRICA head, obliged the customs administration to take measures for facilitating customs processes.

Meanwhile, following a previous directive by President Hassan Rouhani, IRICA has been providing new facilities for importers of basic goods which makes them able to clear their commodities in less than an hour.

MA/MA