Zarghami: Connection of Isfahan Artists' Products to Market to Be Strengthened

Isfahan - The Deputy for Handicrafts at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, emphasizing Isfahan's place in Iran's artistic identity, said that strengthening the missing links between production and consumption is a priority for boosting handicrafts in this province.

In a conversation with Mehr reporter, Barzin Zarghami, referring to the place of Isfahan in the cultural and artistic identity of Iran, stated: In addition to having an independent and historical identity, Isfahan forms an important part of Iran's identity, and one of the main priorities in the field of handicrafts in this province is to strengthen the connection between artists' products and the consumer market.

He added: "Strengthening the missing links between production and consumption is a basic necessity for the prosperity of Isfahan's handicrafts and the improvement of the economic status of the artists of this city, and a ground must be provided so that the products produced by the artists find a more effective way to enter the domestic and international markets."

completing the value chain; From production support to branding and entering the global market

The Deputy of Handicrafts and Traditional Arts of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, emphasizing that supporting production alone is not enough for the economic development of handicrafts, said: Producers and artists should be encouraged to be more active, supported and the obstacles facing their production should be removed. But along with these measures, other links of the value chain should also be strengthened.

Zarghami continued: Helping with marketing, facilitating artists' access to the market, branding products, and providing a context for connecting Iranian handicrafts to the global economy are among the measures that should be taken into consideration along with supporting production.

Referring to the handicrafts production value chain document, he said: This document was compiled with the aim of completing the various links of the production chain to consumption, and one of the measures that have been started in the current management period is to follow up on the operationalization of this document and to convert the approaches foreseen in it into executive measures.

The Deputy of Handicrafts and Traditional Arts of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts added: In this approach, support should not be limited to the first link of the chain, i.e. production; Rather, economic activities related to supply, marketing and market development should also be able to benefit from support.

Supporting the markets and revising the restrictive regulations on handicrafts

Referring to the necessity of using the capacity of economic activists to develop the handicrafts market, Zarghami stated: If an economic activist takes action to launch a market and create a new platform for the supply of handicrafts products, it should be possible to support such activities; Because the development of these businesses can help complete the value chain and strengthen the relationship between the artist and the consumer.

He added: In addition to financial support, institutions that can play an effective role in the implementation of the value chain should be identified and brought together so that their capacities and abilities can be used to increase the effectiveness of the programs.

The Deputy of Handicrafts and Traditional Arts of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts also pointed to the impact of laws and regulations on the activities of this field and said: In the field of handicrafts, there are many regulations, some of which are formulated in general for different issues, but they may also affect handicrafts activities in implementation.

Zarghami stated: In this context, existing regulations should be reviewed and clarified in necessary cases; Also, in the areas where handicrafts require special criteria, rules and regulations should be taken into consideration according to the characteristics of this sector.

Referring to some regulatory obstacles in the way of exporting handicrafts, including the issue of foreign exchange contracting, he noted: amending related regulations alone is not enough and implementing reforms is also essential; Therefore, the removal of legal and executive obstacles should be followed along with the completion of the value chain and market development in order to provide the economic prosperity of handicrafts and strengthen the presence of Iranian products in the world markets.