🔶 Increase in stationery prices; paper up 300%, stationery up to 200%

Mehdi Kalantari, managing director of the “Iranian-Islamic Stationery Association,” said on Wednesday, 18 Shahrivar (September 9) to the website “Iran Watch,” that the price of paper has risen by more than 300% and the prices of various stationery items have increased by between 50% and 200%.

According to Kalantari, the difference between the production and import costs of new products and last year’s inventory has led to a noticeable discrepancy in prices.

Kalantari said domestic production’s share of the market is about 60% and added that notebooks, pencils, pens, and erasers are mostly produced inside the country. However, bags, pencil cases, and fantasy items are still imported from China, and the stationery market has effectively been left to China.

The managing director of the stationery association also said that uncertainty about how the school year will be planned has made it difficult for market players to plan. According to him, producers make cautious production decisions due to their inability to estimate demand, and families have also put off buying stationery until it becomes clear whether classes will be held in person or online.