Apr 19 2011 |
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More Foreign Firms At Oil Expo
By By Sadeq Dehqan Despite the sanctions imposed on Iran over its civilian nuclear energy program, the number of foreign companies attending Iran's 16th International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition has increased compared to last year's event.About 1,550 firms from 40 countries took part in the fair, showing an increase of 35 percent compared to last year's exhibition.
Companies from Germany, Austria, Australia, Spain, UK, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, France, India, Singapore, Japan, China, Thailand, UAE, Taiwan, Canada and Brazil took part in the exhibition.
Managing Director of Chemical Industries Falat Ghareh Company (CIFGC) Mohammad Hussein Afzali told Iran Daily his company, which produces chemical products and gelatin fuels, is continuing exports to Turkey, Persian Gulf littoral states, Iraq, Afghanistan and Central Asian countries.
Referring to the Subsidy Reform Plan, he said elimination of fuel subsidies has raised the prices of raw materials, adding that by using various methods and modernizing equipment, the price increase can be compensated.
Farzan Golchin, a member of the Union of Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters, said 170 production and export firms are members of the union, which is operating since past six years.
He noted that supporting producers and increasing exports are the top priority of the union.
With respect to the continuation of privatization process and implementation of Subsidy Reform Plan, the production companies should focus on developing exports because in the absence of hard currency revenues, they would not be able to continue production.
Improving Quality
Golchin said that improving the quality of oil products is a prerequisite for augmenting exports, noting that privatization has created a competitive environment in the country and this would help enhance the quality of the products.
He noted that the producers of oil derivatives facing the feed price problem are also moving toward privatization and supply feed at the prices determined by the international market.
Referring to duties levied on the export of oil products, he said that based on the directive notified to State Taxation Affairs Organization, oil product exporters must pay duties.
Previously, the four main fuels, namely oil, gasoline, gas and diesel, were subjected to export duties. He noted that thanks to the efforts made by the union, a number of commodities were exempted from duties, adding that presently 17 oil products are liable to pay the duties.
The union prepared a list of well-known companies involved in exports, in cooperation with the Headquarters to Fight Smuggling of Goods and Foreign Exchange, and presented it to Customs Administration of Iran, he said.
Golchin said that exporters whose names are included in the list do not require banking guarantees or promissory notes to export their products.
He stated that UN-imposed sanction did not create any hurdle in the way of exports but transferring the hard currency revenues made through exports is problematic, adding a number of banks and firms have devised tentative strategies to tackle the problem.
Golchin noted that $22 billion worth of non-oil commodities were exported in the last Iranian year (ended March 20), $10 billion of which pertained to oil products.
Mohammad Husseini, a member of Oil Products Export Development Fund of Iran, also told Iran Daily that the fund supports implementation of a container terminal project in Shahid Rajaei Port.
"The fund would hand over loading and unloading operations and customs procedures of the terminal, extending in an area of 10 hectares, to its shareholders and other companies and applicants," he said.
He stated that the project aims at expanding container exports of oil products, adding 72,000 containers with each capacity of 20 tons would be transferred through terminal.
Husseini noted that phase 1 is 95 percent complete and phase 2 would become operational by the yearend, adding $20 million have been invested for the project.
"The fund offers financial facilities to its members and shareholders to meet their requirements," he concluded.
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