Around 73% of Iran’s tile and ceramic exports go to neighboring Iraq, according to the head of the board of directors of the National Tile and Ceramic Producers Guild Association.
“This is both an opportunity and a threat to our exports. We plan to keep our foothold in the Iraqi market but we also need to expand our export destinations. We are currently taking measures to include African countries in our export list,” Morteza Safdarizadeh was also quoted as saying by Fars News Agency.
The official noted that despite economic sanctions, Iranian tiles and ceramics are exported to 52 counties.
“At present, our tile and ceramic production capacity stands at 750 million square meters. The industry has created more than 450,000 direct and indirect jobs,” he added.
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Georgia, the UAE, Tajikistan, Armenia, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan are other buyers of Iranian tile and ceramic.
Yazd Province, which accounts for half of the domestic production of tiles and ceramics, is the production hub for these products in Iran.
Iran’s tile industry enjoys cheap energy and raw material resources, combined with indigenous expertise.
However, at present, domestic producers have to compete with foreign counterparts, especially from China, that have the competitive advantages of lower production costs and higher economies of scale.