Saeed Shojaei, Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, examined the challenges facing the production sector in the past two years and emphasized the necessity of enhancing the resilience of this sector from "survival" to "preserving productive assets and developing industrial capacities." He stated that energy imbalance, currency fluctuations, rising input costs, limited financial resources, and disruptions in the supply chain are among the most significant pressures on production.
Multi-layered Challenges in Industry
Shojaei continued his remarks by referring to the intensification of multi-layered pressures on the production sector, saying: "Chronic energy imbalance, currency market turbulence, rising input costs, and limited circulating financial resources, along with disruptions in supply chains and the erosion of production infrastructure, have posed serious challenges to industrial enterprises." He also referred to estimates from the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, which indicate that the opportunity cost resulting from energy restrictions in industry and mining will reach 303 and 473 trillion tomans in the years 2024 and 2025, respectively.
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Need for Structural Reforms
The Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade noted that overcoming the current situation requires the simultaneous implementation of crisis management policies and structural reforms. According to Shojaei, these reforms must be designed and implemented in accordance with the real needs and challenges of the production sector. Given that economic and sanction pressures directly impact production and the country's economy, it is essential to take necessary measures to reduce these pressures and increase the resilience of the production sector.
Shojaei concluded by emphasizing the importance of inter-agency cooperation and support for producers, stating that only through a comprehensive approach and alignment among various institutions can the situation of production be improved and the damages caused by sanctions and energy imbalance be reduced.
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