Iran: Erbil’s boycott of our goods did not affect trade exchange
Despite Iranian officials announcing the continuation of trade exchange with Erbil (northern Iraq), Iraqi merchants confirm that the “campaign to boycott Iranian goods” is gaining reasonable popularity in the city’s markets, against the backdrop of the Revolutionary Guards’ bombing of a businessman’s home with ballistic missiles last week.
Despite the enthusiasm shown by merchants for the boycott, they fear the high prices due to the failure to secure alternatives from other sources at reasonable costs.
The deputy of the Iranian Trade Development Organization, Mohammad Sadiq Qanadzadeh, said on Friday that trade between Iran and Erbil continues because the two countries “have a long-term relationship.”
The government Mehr Agency quoted Qanadzadeh as saying that the decision of the Chamber of Commerce in Erbil to ban Iranian goods “did not have any impact on the volume of trade.”
Qanadzadeh explained that “the private sector between the two countries is linked to a strong, long-term relationship.”
The Iranian official claimed that Iranian field investigations showed that “nothing changed after the announcement of the boycott,” and said: “In general, there was no ban or change in trade between the two countries. Only in the past few days was there an emotional reaction and its effect ended.”
Qanadzadeh announced “the imminent formation of a joint trade committee between the two countries in this field.”
Following the Iranian bombing of the city of Erbil, the Erbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry called on merchants and consumers in the Kurdistan region to boycott Iranian goods. Similar calls from activists urged the authorities to take a stance against the Iranian bombing.
To the Minister of Commerce: These are all Iranian tomatoes. Their import must be stopped immediately so that people do not buy them. It is amazing that we have the best Kurdish tomatoes in the world while we import them from abroad!#Let _ her _ be _ sad pic.twitter.com/CSEVcxD1t8
— Karzan Kurdistani☀️ (@karzan_rasheed) January 20, 2024
Following the invitation, the Tehran Chamber of Commerce demanded that it be withdrawn and “cling to the ropes of affection and look towards the bright future.”
Although Erbil is a successful market for Iranian products, and it imports goods from Tehran through 6 ports, the Chamber of Commerce expressed its hope that this market will reach the stage of “severing economic and trade relations” with the country’s eastern neighbor.
According to Reuters, the annual rate of trade exchange between the cities of the Kurdistan region and Iran amounts to about $6 billion.
Food and agricultural crops, along with building materials, top the list of Iranian exports to the Kurdistan region.
Members of the Civil Defense remove rubble after a house was hit by an Iranian missile in Erbil last week (AP)
Before the bombing, the relevant officials in the Kurdistan government were talking about “possible facilities for Iranian investors with the aim of expanding various investment opportunities in the region.”
Merchants and consumers in the city of Erbil told Asharq Al-Awsat that they responded to the boycott campaign, while many tried to search for local or Arab alternatives to Iranian goods.
Government officials in the Ministry of Agriculture in the Kurdistan region held a meeting with farmers from central and southern Iraq last week to discuss the possibility of supplying the region’s markets with basic crops instead of importing them from Iran.
Last Monday, the Ministry of Agriculture in the region decided to prevent the import of tomatoes from abroad, until further notice.
However, many are reluctant to continue the boycott campaign without providing alternatives to basic goods. Because this will lead to higher prices.
Kurdish media quoted merchants in Erbil as saying, “Iranian goods are flooding the market in Kurdistan and Iraq, and that searching for alternatives to them, such as Arab or Turkish products, may be difficult because the price of Iranian goods is cheaper.”
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2024-01-26 13:41:55
