“Domestic production of masks is likely to fall and cause investors and workforce to suffer significant losses in the near future, if the practice [inbound smuggling] continues at the current levels,” Gholamreza Hassanpour Eskandari was also quoted as saying by ISNA.
He called on the minister to issue directives for supporting domestic production and preventing smuggling.
According to the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade, the country’s current production capacity stands at 20 million masks per day.
Given the rise in local production and sufficient reserves, the prices of three-layer facemasks, approved by the Food and Drug Organization of Iran, has recently reduced from 13,000 rials (5 cents) to 10,000 rials (3.8 cents).
The biggest facemask production unit in Southwest Asia, with a production capacity of 3,000 respiratory masks and 100,000 N95 masks per day, was launched in Alborz Province in April.