Cutting dependence on oil requires export support
The head of the Iranian Exporters' Confederation explained the preconditions for reducing dependence on the oil economy, noting that if we are looking for export earnings, we should support exports without haste.
According to the International Iranian Stone Exhibition, Mohammad Lahouti, referring to the president's speech on cutting off Iran's economy dependence on oil, said: "The president has announced a reduction of the country's dependence on the oil economy by ten percent, which is unprecedented and in no way Over time, the country's budget has not been so dependent on oil revenues.
The head of the Iranian Export Confederation added: "Iran has not experienced such conditions in any period, either before or after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, and today the country's economy is based on non-oil exports, which is of particular importance, meaning that the country Managed on the basis of the oil economy for many years, now, for whatever reason, including the currency bottlenecks in the area of sanctions, it is faced with a situation that inevitably creates a success for the country and the government to separate its dependence on oil and rely on economy and non-oil exports. Slowly
He added: "In such circumstances, we are the only oil-rich country in the world in which the dependence on the budget has reached about ten percent, and although in previous years, this dependence was over twenty percent; But again, Iran's budget has been the least dependent on oil-rich countries.
Lahouti believes that this shows that a process has been completed and that the work has reached a ten percent dependence of the budget on oil revenues; This means that in recent years, on the one hand, exports have been considered and on the other hand, industrial, agricultural and mining infrastructure has grown, and finally, the investments that have taken place in the petrochemical industry have now borne fruit and All of these factors have pushed us from $ 7 billion in exports in the 1980s to $ 40 billion in exports last year.
The head of the Iranian Exporters' Confederation said that according to previous targets, the country should have experienced exports of up to 100 billion dollars, noting that, of course, several reasons, including foreign sanctions and domestic restrictions, were involved in not reaching this number.
According to him, given the current situation in which the Iranian economy needs foreign exchange earnings from non-oil exports, export support and distance from haste in decisions are among the main factors for export growth. Therefore, facilitating exports and removing export barriers is a factor for the growth of non-oil exports.
Lahouti said: "Paying attention to the facts and current conditions that exporters are involved with are among the points that should be considered, while removing obstacles to exports can also be one of the important factors in the country's export prosperity." Export support means supporting production and creating jobs.
He emphasized: "Considering that we have no choice but to support exports, because this year's goal is to export about forty-one billion dollars, which has been five months of the year, due to the outbreak of coronavirus, which affects the country's economy." As a result, we see a decrease in exports by thirty-nine percent.
The member of the delegation of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce continued: "According to the president, today exporters have a very heavy responsibility towards the country's economy and the government and governing bodies must perform their duties towards exporters well;" In a way, many platforms should be provided so that by removing barriers, exporters can return more of their export currency to the country's economic cycle so that both the economy and the industry are supported, so that in addition to creating employment, export-oriented currency can Cover the country's foreign exchange needs.
Lahouti continued: "In this situation, each of us in the position of exporter and the government must try to provide the conditions and conditions and take steps to cut dependence on the oil economy; However, in order to achieve this goal, exporters must be supported and exports thrive, so that the remaining time until the end of the year can compensate for the shortage and decline in exports. As oil prices fall, so does the price of condensate, and we need to redouble our efforts to make more money for the country.
* Tasnim
