Participants in a Wednesday webinar on exploring ways to expand exchanges of agricultural products between Iran and Thailand called on both countries to sign a preferential trade agreement.
The webinar was participated by Iran’s Ambassador in Bangkok Reza Nobakhti, Vice-President of Thailand Chamber of Commerce, representatives from Iran’ Ministry of Agricultural Jahad, Mohammad Reza Karbasi, the deputy of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) for International Affairs, and a number of agricultural activists from both Iran and Thailand.
Speaking during the webinar, Karbasi regretted that the level of trade between Iran and Thailand is not satisfactory.
Noting that Thailand has had some $413 billion trade with the world over the first three quarters of 2021, he said that Iran’s share of Thailand’ trade with the world has always been less than 1 percent.
The senior ICCIMA member said that once the Thai companies find a good Iranian trade partner, they can easily gain access to markets of other regional countries, including, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the Persian Gulf littoral countries.
Karbasi also urged the need for finalizing already signed documents between the two countries and making further agreements on agriculture, standard and free trade agreement.
Iran’s Ambassador to Thailand, for his part, referred to the big regional market and said with presence in Iran, the Thai economic activists can gain access to the 500-million people market of the region.
Nobakhti called on both countries to focus on the agricultural sector and exchanging commodities which are not produced in the other country.
He said that fruits grown in each country are native to that very country, adding that Iran and Thailand can complement each other in this regard.
The ambassador noted that Thailand can make use of Iran’s strategic position for re-export of its rice to regional countries.