‘Shifting export track from raw material sales to finished goods, a necessity’ TEHRAN- The Head of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPO), during a meeting with representatives and the board of directors of the Iran Guilds Chamber, announced the formulation of a new roadmap for a leap in non-oil exports and emphasized the strategic necessity of transitioning from raw and semi-raw material exports to high-value-added finished goods. According to the Public Relations Department of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, this meeting was held with the aim of explaining new structures for guild participation in the international supply chain and examining operational solutions to remove administrative, currency, and regulatory obstacles facing guild exporters. The Head of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, pointing to the structural challenge of the country's trade balance from a qualitative perspective, stated: One of the fundamental and problematic issues in foreign trade is the low average value of export goods compared to import items. Currently, the average value per ton of the country's export goods is about $300, while this figure for imported goods reaches about $2,000 per ton. This deep gap indicates the continuation of the traditional approach and reliance on raw material sales in the country's economy. Emphasizing the need to enhance Iran's position in the global value chain, he added: A major portion of our non-oil exports is concentrated in upstream industries such as the steel chain, iron ore, pellets, and ingots, whose marketing and sales, due to the nature of raw materials, lack the scientific complexities of trade. In contrast, production and distribution guilds deal with a chain of finished and ready-to-consume goods (such as furnitu

According to IRNA, Mohsen Taraztalab stated during a visit to solar power plants in western Golestan: Since the beginning of the 14th government's term, approximately 4,500 megawatts of new capacity have been added to the country's power grid, and the capacity of renewable power plants has increased from 1,250 megawatts to about 5,800 megawatts.

He added: Based on the planning, the capacity of renewable power plants will reach 7,000 megawatts by the end of the first half of the present year (September 20) and 12,000 megawatts by the end of the year (March 2027), and achieving this goal requires securing the necessary financial resources.

The Head of SATBA, referring to the progress of solar projects in Golestan, said: A private-sector solar power plant in Gonbad-e Kavus city is in its final stages of construction, with part of its capacity to be connected to the national power grid within the next 20 days and the entire plant capacity by September 11.

Taraztalab continued: Approximately 140 people are currently working on this project, and efforts are being made to bring the plant fully online within a maximum of one and a half months.

He described the development of household solar power plants as one of the government's priorities and added: Financial resource constraints have reduced the ability to simultaneously disburse facilities to all applicants, but SATBA, by establishing a project fund and utilizing its resources, is pursuing the payment of low-interest facilities for the development of these plants.

The Deputy Energy Minister said: Applicants who have the necessary permits, contracts, grid connection approvals, and appropriate physical progress will be introduced to banks to receive facilities, so that greater public participation in the development of solar power plants can be facilitated.

Taraztalab, during his visit to the solar power plants in western Golestan, assessed the implementation progress of the province's 3, 30, and 64-megawatt projects as favorable and said: With the operation of these projects, the share of clean energy in Golestan's electricity supply will increase, and part of the province's consumption needs will be met through solar power generation.

MA