Government moves to protect handicraft sector
A meeting of professional guilds and handicraft entrepreneurs was held with the participation of Seyyed Reza Salehi Amiri, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts. The gathering was aimed at fostering synergy between policymakers and those who are active in the field, and was dedicated to examining the existing challenges and charting the future path of the handicraft sector amidst the country’s complex economic conditions.
According to ISNA, Seyyed Reza Salehi Amiri, by outlining an analytical framework of the current situation, emphasized the necessity of forming a “shared mindset” between the government and those who are actively working in this field. He stated, “In the present circumstances, it is essential to simultaneously analyze three key components in order to reach a common understanding of the situation and the path forward.”
Referring to the government’s supportive approach toward handicrafts, he added, “We are thinking about the survival of the handicraft sector, and this survival is defined around three fundamental axes: first, the continuity of production; second, the preservation and sustainability of employment; and third, the strengthening of the marketing and sales system.”
He explained, “In the current situation, it is natural for society’s priorities to shift toward meeting basic needs. However, our duty is to protect the sectors of tourism and handicrafts and to prevent any disruption in their cycle of life.”
Salehi Amiri went on to announce the government’s facilitation measures in the area of financing and stated, “In line with supporting small handicraft workshops, we raised the issue of removing the insurance requirement for receiving financial facilities with the government and successfully finalized it, in order to ease the path of access to financial resources for these production units.”
He also announced the holding of specialized meetings with bank managing directors and added, “In the sessions that have been held so far, the issues and obstacles related to the payment of facilities have been examined in great detail, and we are actively following up to facilitate the relevant processes.”
Emphasizing the ministry’s intermediary and driving role in transmitting demands to the country’s high decision-making levels, he stated, “Our duty is to convey your issues and concerns accurately and operationally to the government, and to have executive mechanisms properly designed and consistently pursued in order to solve them.”
He also announced effective interaction with other executive bodies and said, “Appropriate cooperation has been established with the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare in all related fields, and this cooperation is currently being expanded further.”
Salehi Amiri stressed the importance of continued dialogue and constructive interaction between the government and the private sector, considering it a necessary condition for successfully navigating the current situation and maintaining the dynamism of the country’s handicraft industry.