Mohammad Tahanpour added that at present smuggled products are being sold online, noting that the association has reported some of these sites to relevant officials for prosecution, the Persian economic daily Tafahom reported.
“One-third of all home appliances in the Iranian market is smuggled,” an official with the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade said last month.
According to Abbas Hashemi, $485 million worth of home appliances were imported to Iran while exports stood at $170 million during the eight months to November 20, 2016, Financial Tribune reported.
“Smuggled home appliances meet 30-40% of the domestic demand,” he was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
The home appliances market in Iran is worth 200 trillion rials ($4.95 billion). Domestic production accounts for only a quarter of this amount and the rest is dominated by foreign brands.
According to Sharareh Karimi of Iran’s Home Appliances Association, foreign brands make up 95%, 60% and 55% of the Iranian market for audiovisual systems, refrigerators and washing machines respectively.
“Home appliance manufacturing sector accounts for 1.1% of the value added as well as 1.67% of all the jobs in Iran’s industrial sector,” she said.