August 17, The Iran Project - Head of Tehran�s Apparel Manufacturers and Retailers Union said that�Iran has taken steps aimed at promoting the country�s garment manufacturing industry, in a bid to enter the international markets.

In an interview, Abolqasem Shirazi announced that�capabilities of the Iranian manufacturers for producing clothing items have doubled over the past year.

The�industry official noted that exporting garment products to the neighboring countries�is also on the agenda.

Shirazi stated that following lifting sanctions imposed by West on the country in January of 2016, the Iranian manufacturers have developed plans to export about 30 percent of their total output.

"Regarding the recent calls for support of domestic production, the volume of garment imports has notably dropped," he added, in a reference to the issue of Iran�s clothing items imports.

According to the Headquarters for Combating Smuggling of Goods and Foreign Exchange, apparel tops the list of goods smuggled into Iran.

Some $2.6 billion worth of clothes are imported into Iran every year and according to members of apparel unions, twice this amount is smuggled into the country.

ILNA reported that the Iranian apparel market is estimated to have an annual turnover of $12 billion.

It is worth mentioning that Tehran Apparel Producers and Sellers Union recently launched a campaign called �I Proudly Wear Iranian Clothes� to support the production of Iranian clothing.

Also, the Fifth International Apparel Exhibition is scheduled to be held at Tehran�s International Fairground from September 4 to 7.

The event has been organized with the aim of introducing Iran�s capabilities in the field of garment production.