September 06, 2019
While the Islamic Republic has made autarky, or self-sufficiency, its national policy and aims to produce in Iran what Iran needs, it doesn’t seem to mind the fact that 85 percent of the cloth used to make chadors has to be imported.
Iran spends some $85 million to $120 million annually to buy foreign-made cloth for chadors, according to a board member of the Iran Textile Specialists Association.
“Today, our imports are mostly from Thailand, China, Vietnam and Indonesia, which have understood this demand in Iran and other Islamic countries. Previously, our main suppliers of chador cloth were Switzerland, South Korea and Japan,” Alireza Haeri was quoted as saying by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
According to the official, domestic demand for the product stands at 70-80 million square meters per annum.
“The only producer of the black fabric in Iran is the Hejab Factory in Shahr-e Kord in Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari Province. The factory has the capacity to produce 10 million square meters of chador cloth every year, which can only meet 10 to 15 percent of the domestic demand.”