My 3-day Trip to Tehran or How I Became More Tolerant Towards the Traffic in Istanbul

   I visited Tehran between 18-21 December, 2015, as a member of the Turkish-Iranian Trade Delegation organized by the Ministry of Economy of Turkey. All in all, it was a good one. In this short article, I wish to share some useful information for people who would like to see Tehran one day, or not, and for young fellas like me in this sector.

   We landed at Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran (Khomeini was the previous Ayatollah of the state, and the Supreme Leader of Iran) on a foggy, dismal Friday afternoon. The time gap between Iran and Turkey is +1:30 hours, and it haunts you all along, until you can get used to it. If it was +1:00, it would be fine; if it was +2:00, it would still be fine. In any case, the time we spent going to the hotel from the airport was more than the time it took us to get to the country from Turkey. It is because of the traffic, obviously, and it is far worse than Istanbul. Unbelievable ! After reaching the hotel towards 8 p.m, we spent the next day with business meetings, and the day after that with market visits and see-around.

   First and foremost, although it is mostly thanks to their sources of petroleum and raw materials, Iran must be congratulated as resisting against pressures from outer world, in terms of embargoes and constraints. Though the industry has not developed beyond an extent of offering semi-processed raw

Heineken? No, Shams !

materials to the world, the overall economy is at least self-sufficient in terms of production and consumption of daily needs. Focusing more on our area of interest, the Iranian confectionery and snacks industry has a variety of choices and numerous producers, though the average quality is relatively lower against their Turkish counterparts. Nearly ignorant of the patent rights and trademarks, some products look too much alike to regionally or world-known brands. And this 'inspiration movement' is not limited to the products themselves. You can see coffee shops or burger houses that look almost similar to 'Subway', 'Starbucks', or 'Burger King', except they are 'Raees Coffee', 'Burger Madam&Sir', 'Pizza Hat', or 'Mash Donald's'.

   Since the petroleum and natural gas have always been a reliable source of income (which would always find customers, considering even the strictest constraints, as they have, and are) the decision makers probably intended to create a self-sufficient economy in most sectors, including basic foods, sweets, confectionery, and snacks. Therefore, exporting into Iran in our categories is extremely difficult. If any product that you intend

You see what I'm saying?

to export has already a substitute that is being produced in the country, customs and government permits costs can reach up to 60 - 110 % of the overall value of your product. If you are not frightened by these higher costs, hear this: even if you are ready to get over such high entrance costs,

the government can still refuse the entrance of your product, for the sake of domestic industry, or eventually cancel your license without a concrete reason ! Or, the importing company can take the product to a producer in the country, and ask them to make a copy ! Hence, you can better think twice if you want to make business in Iran. An alternative for Turkish products may be to focus more on the Western part of the country, where Azeri and other Turkish ethnic minorities constitute a significant portion of the population. trade activities and businesses are mostly controlled by them, it is relatively easier to communicate with them, and the fact that people's approach towards Turkish products as being high-quality items (especially in textiles) for which higher fees and prices might be tolerated can allow you to build a brand image for your product.

   There are of course other points that should be mentioned about Tehran, and the country in general. For instance, if you have slightly more than no idea about the government or life in Iran, you don't have that much to be afraid of ! People, men and women, get on the bus together, walk around the streets together (though I must say I did not see anyone 'getting closer' in public, even holding hands, but I have also not seen any Revolutionary Guards or Vice Squad on the streets, bothering people), go shopping together, and the obligation to cover their heads for women can only keep the back of your head warm in winter. In other words, nobody forces you to cover all your body except your eyes and hands, though you still cannot seen in public without a scarf. This may seem annoying or even aggravating to some, but I developed an idea when I was there. People who are strictly against the freedom of women wearing headscarf in universities or schools or some government buildings can be sent to a very short trip to Iran, where they will face how suffocating it can be when they are subjected to exactly the opposite of the same restriction. I

The Milad Tower

believe this can help them to think a little more 'liberal' about their approaches to the subject. Against the obligation of women in the country wearing a headscarf, and some other regulations which may at first seem against equality between genders, Iranian women are not at all passive subjects of a social and economic life dominated by men. In most cases, even, women seemed more vigorous, lively, and driving in social life. This, I must underline. Furthermore, Tehran did not seem like a must-see tourism center in Iran. If you are interested in seeing some historical buildings and a character in a city, better go to Esfahan or Qom. The difference between Tehran and some other cities which can be more attractive to tourists is like the difference between Ankara and Istanbul or Antalya, where Tehran is definitely a cold, grey, boring city. I am sorry, but to me, so is Ankara. Still, there are a few things to see in the city e.g the Milad Tower, on the top of which there is a revolving restaurant where you can both eat and see the city lying under your feet. There is also the palace complex of the Pahlavi dynasty, which is not that much impressive, but hey, it is what they got.

   All in all, if you are in the same sector as I am, your chances of building a successful business in Iran is a bit low, and if you are a mere tourist, you can spend your time much better in a different city in the country. I am not sure, but the time you will spend to get to your hotel in Tehran is probably longer than the time you will spend to get to Esfahan (the distance between the cities are said to be 447 km s, but I am still behind my idea). Thank you very much for reading this, and ciao !

Ab. The 'Tomato Scam'

Hi everyone,

Any e-mail that comes from 'sales@xjftfood.com' with the subject related to tomatoes, ketchups, sunflower oil, or whatever is a scam. The sender of these e-mails also use the skype ID: lee.anna65

Once exchanging a few e-mails, the sender of them asks you to send an amount of payment (she had asked $ 110 from me) to her account, in order to send a set of samples. Obviously, I did not send anything, but he/she will probably disappear after sending the amount asked.

I am writing this post to warn people against such undignified acts of shame! Please be careful against those people.