TEHRAN- A member of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, emphasizing that the main problem of Iran’s exports is not a lack of production capacity, deemed it necessary to reform trade processes, reduce transaction costs, and create infrastructure for a sustainable presence in foreign markets.
Shahla Amouri, President of the Ahvaz Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, said that the problem of Iran’s exports is not a lack of production capacity; the problem is the inability to convert this capacity into a sustainable presence in the market. An economy that has supply capacity—from energy and raw materials to industrial and agricultural products—can use foreign trade for growth when an Iranian firm can deliver its product to the customer at a predictable cost, through a clear process, and in competitive time. The gap between these two points is where a significant part of Iran’s economic advantages is eroded.
Between producing a good and selling it sustainably in a foreign market lies a chain of decisions and processes: from financing and regulations to transportation, standards, insurance, market information, and distribution networks. Weakness in any link destroys part of the advantage created at the production stage.
In today’s trade, a foreign customer does not buy only goods; they also buy reliability. Continuous supply, consistent quality, on-time delivery, predictable prices, and after-sales services are part of the value of a transaction. Therefore, successful export is not the result of a single deal; it is the result of building trust and continuity in a trade relationship.
Khuzestan is a clear example of this reality. Having ports, a land border with Iraq, access to open waters, and diverse industrial and agricultural capacities has placed this province in a position where it can be one of the drivers of the country’s regional trade. But geography becomes an economic advantage only when infrastructure and trade governance can turn this capacity into an efficient path for firm activity.
Meanwhile, one of the less-seen issues is the difference between “the possibility of accessing the market” and “the ability to remain in the market.” The initial presence of a good in a foreign market may be formed by a single deal, but its continuation depends on understanding consumer behavior, standards, competitors’ prices, distribution channels, import regulations, and supplier credibility. Many small and medium-sized firms do not have regular and usable access to this information.
For this reason, trade development policy must move beyond providing general information and toward trade intelligence. A firm must know, in each target market, what product with what specifications, through what route, and to which customers can be offered. This information must be up-to-date, practical, and convertible into an economic decision.
On the other hand, the country’s foreign trade structure still faces a multiplicity of processes and scattered responsibilities. In a single chain, an exporter encounters multiple institutions and regulations, while the performance of these institutions has not always been designed around a common goal. The result is increased friction along a path that should be predictable for firms.
To reform this situation, five actions must be pursued as a single package: First, reducing administrative friction by integrating systems, exchanging information among agencies, and eliminating parallel controls; second, managing trade time and cost by setting specific indicators for core processes and continuously measuring performance; third, creating shared services for small and medium-sized firms in cargo consolidation, warehousing, packaging, transportation, and specialized consulting; fourth, launching a market intelligence system in border provinces to provide up-to-date information on demand, regulations, competitors, and distribution networks; and fifth, creating a clear mechanism for resolving trade problems by designating the responsible agency, a response deadline, and an evaluable result.
These five axes are in fact five links in a single reform: simplifying the path, reducing transaction costs, enabling the presence of small firms, gaining a more accurate understanding of the market, and turning unresolved issues into cases with a designated responsible party and timeframe.
MA
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