India, Iran push to boost bilateral trade

Bilateral trade between India and Iran will receive a fillip with the signing of a preferential trade agreement, the head of the Trade Promotion Organisation of Iran said Saturday.

Valiollah Afkhami Rad made the remarks in a meeting with visiting senior Indian commerce ministry official Rajani Ranjan Rashmi here, IRNA reported.

During the meeting, the Iranian official expressed dissatisfaction over the present volume of trade between Iran and India.

He further urged the Indian official to lower tariffs for Iranian exporters to allow them easier access to the market there for their saffron, pistachio, dates, kiwi fruit, apple and pomegranate products.

The Iranian official also invited Indian businessmen to invest in Iran, especially in the port city of Chabahar in south-eastern Iran, in transportation and other infrastructure projects.

He urged India to facilitate the process of registering companies owned by Iranian businessmen.

The visiting Indian official stressed the need for practising preferential tariffs between the traders of the two countries and said this would lead to enhancement of bilateral cooperation.