MUSCAT, (DNA) – Ithraa, Oman’s inward investment and export promotion agency, recently held a one-day workshop at the Public Authority for Civil Aviation Training Centeer, to explore the challenges Omani exporters face in doing business in Iran.

According to Bahrain-based online business news and information portal Trade Arabia, Iran remains an attractive target for Omani businesses, with highly favorable cross-sector opportunities.

Home to a burgeoning middle class, Iran has a longstanding appetite for quality services and goods, offering Oman-based companies potentially rewarding commercial opportunities, it added.

“Iran is no longer just a market of its nearly 80-million-strong population; it should be seen as a market of more than 300 million people thanks to its location, allowing access to Arab states in the south and west; Central Asia in the north; and Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east,” said Nasima Al Balushi, Ithraa’s director general for Investment Promotion & Export Development.

Iran’s middle to upper classes could potentially be a key market for Omani non-oil exporters. Research conducted by emerging markets research specialists, On Device Research, suggests 73% of Iranian consumers are interested in buying foreign products, as soon as they become available. What interests Iranian consumers the most is the opportunity to have access to better quality products.

Emad Al Shukaily, director general of Oman’s Economic Cooperation Office in Bandar Abbas, said, “While the oil and gas sector gets much of the attention, Iran’s diversified economy is attracting companies across industries. It is the world’s largest exporter of cement, as well as pistachios, saffron and caviar. Shipping is another big earner. In particular, Iran’s nearly 80 million young, educated and urbanized population offer Omani non-oil exporters some very exciting opportunities.”