In a letter to the Ministry of Industry and Mining, the Iranian president’s legal department said the ministry could issue orders on consumer durable goods that have foreign-made consumer goods and domestically produced versions, according to a semi-official ISNA news agency’s report on Wednesday.
The letter dated April 30 said that the ban on importing such products, enacted in 2019 to support domestic manufacturers, has expired and added that MIMT will be allowed to regulate imports by imposing customs duties on certain goods.
The order comes amid a call that bans on the import of products like Iran’s home appliances have led to a monopoly by domestic manufacturers, leading to consumers paying exorbitant prices for low-quality products.
Others defended the ban, saying that the government could cut massive import bills amidst US sanctions that helped local manufacturing and restricted the government’s ability to access hard currency.
Figures released by the Iranian government point to a steady increase in domestic manufacturing activities in recent years.
However, the Iranian Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers has said that MIMT has not started processing import applications one week after the import curbs are lifted.
The former Iranian government banned the import of residential goods entirely in September 2021, causing a significant drop in imports of models manufactured by South Korea’s popular names, Samsung and LG.
Sources said at the time the ban was also a response to South Korea’s failure to return Iranian funds that had been frozen domestically due to US sanctions.
MNA/presstv