In an interview with IBNA (Iran Book News Agency), referring to the yesterday meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and trade, the Head of the Association of Paper and Cardboard Importers, Hassan Mirbagheri said, "On December 7th, we had a meeting with Hossein Moddares; the Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and trade, Mohammad Reza Kalami; the Director General of the Office of Commodity Market Development, Mehrdad Jamal Arounaghi; The Deputy Customs, and the representative from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and Standard Organization."
He continued, "In the meeting which was held by the Association of Paper and Cardboard Importers and the officials of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and trade, the problems of glossy paper imports over the recent several months was discussed, and it was decided that there would be no need for the customs to inquire the Standard Organization for the imports of glossy paper."
Mirbagheri explained, "Since several months ago, it has been decided that if an importer intended to import glossy paper to the country, the Standard Organization would certainly approve its application which was disagreed by the Standard Organization."
He emphasized, "In the yesterday meeting, it was decided to follow the previous process of importing glossy paper, and it is not required to inquire the glossy paper application from Standard Organization."
The paper price has reached a relative stability.
Stating that the issue was solved by the cooperation among the governmental entities, Mirbagheri said, "We, as the representative of importers have tried in the recent years to interact and cooperate with government for the market regulation and are pleased that the market has reached a relative stability."
He added, "There have been rumors that there is a problem with paper imports, and some are upset with this stability, but importers are trying hard to bypass the sanctions and sell this commodity at the lowest price on the market."
The Head of the Association of Paper and Cardboard Importers, stating that the price of different types of paper has decreased, noted, "The glossy paper which reached 30 thousand Toman a kilo in a period of time has currently reached 13 thousand Toman a kilo with the cooperation and the assistance of government and well-known and old importers."
Stating that the price is still likely to decrease, Mirbaghery said, "If the USD rate is stable in the country and if the government keep cooperating with importers, we not only will not have an increase in the price but also the prices will decline further."
He emphasized, "During different periods, it has been proven that if the government trusts reputable importers and takes advantage of their ability and experience in imports, it can be useful for regulating the market and keeping prices low, and the current market situation has resulted from this policy, too."
Regarding the existing competition among importers, Mirbagheri commented, "There is a proven experience on the market; when the market is highly competitive, the prices will be cheaper, and the paper market indicates this fact at present. Although there is a difference among many imported goods, some importers are selling their goods with the lowest margin and sometimes without profit on the market due to highly competitive prices."
Stating that paper is a strategic commodity in our country, he said, "If there is a background for the imports of the goods to the country and if the warehouses are full of paper, there will be a safe margin for publishers and printing houses which can relieve them of their production problems."
Stating that the price of books will decline from now on, Mirbagheri continued, "I hope there will be a ground for creating boom in the field of publishing and printing which causes their businesses to come out of the current recession following the decline in the price of different types of paper and cardboard."