Commercial Surveys

Commercial Surveys

Identification and Prioritization of Export Barriers for the Food Industry in Sistan and Baluchestan Province

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Ali Sardarshahraki 1
zahra ghaffari moghadam 2
1 Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran
2 Assistant Professor Department of Agricultural Economics, Agriculture Institute, Research Institute of zabol, Zabol, Iran
10.22034/bs.2026.2088536.3237
Abstract



Given the important role of exports in economic growth and regional development, this study aims to identify and prioritize the barriers to food industry exports in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. Export barriers were identified in six major categories: infrastructural, political, economic, market, legal, and human resource and managerial factors, and were evaluated based on expert opinions. The barriers were prioritized using Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) according to five criteria: severity of impact, probability of occurrence, cost implications, time delay, and controllability. Data processing was performed using the Python programming language. The results indicate that infrastructural barriers are the most significant constraints on food industry exports in the province, followed by political and economic barriers. Among the individual barriers identified, weaknesses in the cold chain and export logistics, shortages of skilled labor in food processing and packaging, inadequate packaging, weak advertising and branding, and instability in exchange rate and trade policies were found to be the most critical obstacles. The findings suggest that the major challenge facing food industry exports in the province extends beyond production and is largely associated with weaknesses in post-production activities, including storage, packaging, transportation, marketing, and policymaking. Accordingly, policymakers and provincial authorities should shift from a production-oriented approach to a value chain-oriented approach by prioritizing the development of cold chain infrastructure, upgrading export terminals, improving refrigerated transportation, enhancing packaging technologies, developing a skilled workforce, strengthening advertising and branding, and reducing policy uncertainty in provincial export planning.
Keywords
Export
Food industry
Grey relational analysis
Sistan and Baluchestan
Subjects
 
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Commercial Surveys
Volume 23, Issue 135 - Serial Number 135
January and February 2026
Pages 99-122

  • Receive Date 12 May 2026
  • Revise Date 15 June 2026
  • Accept Date 22 June 2026