Shafaq News/ The head ?f the Agricultural Committee ?n the Iranian Parliament expressed his country's concerns about the decline ?n its agricultural exports t? Iraq, pointing t? Turkiye and Saudi Arabia's dominance ?f the Iraqi market.
Mohammad Javad Asgari, an Iranian parliament member, underscored ?n a statement that "Iran's fears are increasing due t? the decline ?n its agricultural exports t? Iraq, due t? several factors, including internal and external ones, such as the US sanctions imposed ?n it, and the tightening ?f financial transactions ?n dollars from Baghdad abroad for import purposes."
Asgari elaborated ?n internal challenges, stating, "Iran has begun t? lose its markets abroad for local reasons, related t? problems ?n legislative regulations that have hindered the private sector, revealing that the decline ?n exports ?s not limited t? the dollar financing crisis ?n Iraq."
Asgari highlighted Turkiye's swift dominance over the Iraqi market, saying Moreover Saudi Arabia's increasing dominance ?n neighboring markets poses a "severe threat t? the Iranian economy."
"Iranian agricultural product exports have decreased somewhat, especially regarding dried fruits and vegetables." He explained.
Askari criticized the Iranian tax authority for exacerbating the decline ?n agricultural exports, stating, "The tax affairs department's mismanagement ?f agricultural product exports has hindered incentives for exporting agricultural goods."
According to t? Iranian media, Iranian food and agricultural product exports t? regional countries amounted t? about $5.6 billion last year, with a growth ?f 6.5% compared t? the previous year, with Iraq then topping the list ?f the top ten markets importing Iranian agricultural and food products with $1.784 billion.