Hamedan province is connected to 40 export markets worldwide, with Iraq, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates ranking as its top five destinations, according to Rahim Mortezaei, head of the Hamedan Chamber of Commerce.
Speaking at the 79th meeting of the provincial government and private sector dialogue council, Mortezaei presented an analytical report on the province’s export performance, noting that the export challenges index stands at 3.4 out of 5. The main obstacles, he said, are related to finance, currency, sanctions, and logistics.
Despite these hurdles, Mortezaei reported positive growth in exports to Canada (118 percent), Tajikistan (72 percent), and Armenia (52 percent).
Outlining strategies to boost shipments to key markets, Mortezaei said that for Pakistan, a preferential trade agreement and the establishment of ferroalloy company trade offices are needed to recover 30 percent of previous export volumes. For Kuwait, he recommended shifting the commodity basket toward non-competitive goods relative to Turkish and Saudi rivals.
Regarding Germany, Britain, and Belgium, Mortezaei said the use of intermediary countries such as Turkey and the UAE is essential due to banking sanctions. For Georgia, he proposed developing alternative transit corridors.
On Iraq, Mortezaei stressed the need to form a joint export consortium to increase shipments by five percent and consolidate the province’s presence in that critical market.