25,000 trade units in Iranian free zones on the brink of closure

By  Trend

The extension of the ban on import of group 4 commodities to Iranian free zones would endanger the economy of these regions and cause the closure of 25,000 trade units, deputy secretary of Iranian Free Zones Supreme Council Akbar Eftekhari told Trend.

Foreign exchange fluctuations have affected the operation of free zones, he said.

Right after the currency crisis in the country, registration of orders for imports was restricted to free zones. Following the harmful economic consequences of this directive, it was reviewed, but this time it was forbidden to import some of the goods, such as the Luxurious Goods of Group 4.

"According to the decision of the government, the annual quota is set for the import of the goods by passengers, but from the beginning of the year with the onset of currency fluctuations, a working group also set the rules regarding the list of goods, which are allowed to be transported by passengers," Eftekhari said.

He went on to add that many people who travel to free zones such as Qeshm, Kish, Arvand and Aras, apart from tourism incentives, intend to buy goods and transport it to the mainland, which has led to the prosperity of the economy of free zones and decreased the outflow of the currency from the country until the last year.

"But after banning the import of some goods, many shopkeepers suffered from a lot of financial problems. Fortunately, the government decided that by March, up to $140 million goods of Group 4 can be imported to free zones," he said.

"It is not clear exactly whether this resolutionwill be extended after the New Year Eve (March21, 2019), but if this resolution will not be renewed, the free-zones` economy will face a crisis and the closure process of more than 25,000 units will accelerate," Eftekhari warned.