432 Million Euros in Currency Obligations of Zanjan Exporters Still Outstanding
Zanjan Province's Director-General of Industry, Mining and Trade said nearly 83% of the province's export currency has returned to the national economic cycle, adding that of 310 export units subject to currency obligations, 116 face trade restrictions for fulfilling less than 70% of their commitments.
According to the report of the ambassador of Arjan from Zanjan, Amir Ali Mesibi, director general of industry, mining and trade of Zanjan province, on Wednesday at the meeting of the dialogue council between the government and the private sector, announced the total foreign exchange obligations of exporters of the province, based on the statistics until October 17, 1405, about 2 billion and 48 million euros and added: of this amount, nearly 83 percent returned to the economic cycle of the country and 432 million euros are still left.
Referring to the performance of the province's exporters, he said: Zanjan ranks fifth in the country in terms of fulfilling foreign exchange obligations. An issue that indicates the return of the major part of the province's export currency to the economic cycle.
Emphasizing the necessity of supporting economic actors along with the implementation of regulations, Mesibi said: Exports are one of the important sources of the country's foreign exchange, and exporters are trying to fulfill their obligations in a situation where they are facing many difficulties in the field of production, trade and financial transfer. Therefore, in dealing with foreign exchange cases, the obstacles and implementation problems of export units should also be taken into consideration.
Trade restrictions for 116 export units
The General Director of Industry, Mining and Trade of Zanjan Province stated that out of the total 310 units subject to foreign exchange obligations, 144 units have fulfilled more than 70% of their obligations, adding: 116 units whose fulfillment of obligations was less than this limit have been subject to trade restrictions.
Referring to the regulations related to the return of foreign exchange from exports, he stated: The obligation of exporters to return the exported currency was formed with the aim of organizing the foreign exchange market and based on the approvals of the Council of Ministers in 2017, but in some cases, the multiplicity of procedures and directives has led to the complexity of the process of economic activity.
Mesibi explained: In order to determine the assignment of foreign exchange obligations for the years 1397 to 1400, the possibility of using the Riyal reconciliation in the Comprehensive Trade System has been provided, and the deadline for benefiting from this mechanism has been extended until the end of this year.
According to him, the foreign exchange obligations related to the years 1401 to 1403 can be followed up at the central bank's gold and currency exchange center by providing the necessary documents and through the mechanisms foreseen in the relevant systems.
He continued: Regarding the foreign exchange obligations of 1404, by observing the 15-month limit from the time of export, it is possible to use methods such as import versus export, handing over currency to others or offering it in the relevant forums.
Necessity of expert examination of exporters' case
The director general of industry, mining and trade of Zanjan province considered one of the important issues in determining the duty of foreign exchange obligations to be the difference in the conditions and reasons for units not fulfilling their obligations and said: some economic activists have not been able to complete the process of returning foreign exchange due to banking, customs and executive obstacles, and the status of this group should be determined by a detailed expert review.
He emphasized: It is not possible to place the units that have taken action to fulfill their obligations but faced implementation obstacles with people who basically did not take action to fulfill their obligations. Decisions about these cases should be made according to the conditions of each unit.
Referring to the concerns caused by referring the case of economic activists to the judicial authorities, Mesibi added: Before tightening the restrictions, the situation of the units facing banking and customs problems should be expertly reviewed in order to avoid imposing unnecessary pressure on the active companies.
He announced plans to hold joint meetings with senior managers of the Central Bank and Customs and said: These meetings will be held with the aim of examining the existing obstacles and finding executive solutions to determine the duty of exporters' foreign exchange obligations.
The Director General of Samat Zanjan province also emphasized the need for accurate classification of the eligible units and added: The Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the executive bodies, can separate the exporters based on the type of activity, the amount of fulfillment of obligations and the reasons for the remaining foreign currency debt, so that more accurate information for decision making is available to the relevant and judicial authorities.
According to Mesibi, the separation of production units from businessmen and people who have not fulfilled their obligations without effective action, can help to examine the cases more carefully and make decisions appropriate to the conditions of each group.
Connecting two Zanjan mines to the online monitoring system
In another part of his speech, Mesibi mentioned the measures taken to monitor the activities of the province's mines and said: After about a year and a half of follow-up and with the cooperation of related institutions, two mines have been connected to the online monitoring system.
He added: The expansion of the coverage of this system and the connection of more mines will be followed with the support of the provincial authorities and the provision of the required financial resources. An action that can provide a more detailed monitoring of mining activities and improve the process of monitoring mines in the province.