On the sidelines of his visit from the 24th Tehran International Book Fair Majlis speaker Ali Larijani highlighted the need for economically revise print and publication trends in the country.

IBNA: In a talk with the news headquarters of the 24th Tehran International Book Fair, Larijani stated that the economy of our publication is ailing and "we should save the industry from its current status now that it is the year of economic jihad."

"I think we should seek a way to uplift the print industry so it does make sense economically," he stated. "Of course the current situation is a result of the absence of a robust economy [in our country] and publishers need to make profits out of their practice, anyway."

Larijani asserted that the lack of book reading habits in the country is a cultural problem.

"I think this is a cultural issue," said Larijani in response to whether book-reading shortages should be considered as economic issues or cultural ones. "However, it might have economic roots as well which cannot be disregarded."

"In western countries, people inherit book reading habits during their childhood," he added. "That is why they gain precise receptive powers for artistic matters. But in our country this is not the case and children get to learn about religious matters more."

He further highlighted the lack of book-reading habits in the country and said the media and press play a pivotal role in this regard.

On average, 3000 copies of the books displayed at the fair are printed which is so low for releases, he asserted. "The media should try to disseminate book-reading culture," he said.

Larijani viewed the diversity of the presented books at the fair as positive but stated that more copies should be printed in each print-run of the volumes.

"Compared to other countries, books are not expensive in our country. But, considering the economic climate of our state, the prices are high," he added. "And we should arrange things based on our country."

He lamented over the economically ailing publication industry in our country and said the industry is in a lower condition compared to other economic fields in the country.

He further stated that culture occupies 3 to %4 of Iran's budget. The money is used to fund TV, radio, the culture ministry, and other cultural organizations in the country.

Id : 104931