ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Soaring printing costs and mounting economic hardship in Iran have made it increasingly difficult for Kurdish publishing houses to stay in business, warned a publisher, adding that they may no longer be able to reprint books as financial pressures deepen.
"The cost of printing books has doubled and even tripled compared to previous years, to the extent that if some books run out, we may no longer be able to reprint them," Seyran Saidpour, a representative of Madiyar Publishing House, told Rudaw's Dilnya Rahman on the sidelines of the Erbil International Book Fair, which concluded on Saturday.
Saidpour, who travelled from western Iran (Rojhelat) to participate in the event, said economic difficulties have also affected demand for books, although a dedicated readership remains.
"We previously took part in a [book] fair in Sna [in Rojhelat]. There are always some people who read or buy books. These always exist in communities although their number has significantly decreased, but it is still not bad," she said.
Iran has been grappling with a prolonged economic crisis marked by high inflation, a weakening national currency and declining purchasing power, compounded by international sanctions and the economic fallout from its conflict with Israel and the United States.
The rising cost of paper, printing materials and other production expenses has placed additional pressure on publishers, while shrinking household budgets have forced many Iranians to prioritise essential goods over books and other cultural products.
Nine publishing houses from Iran participated in the 10-day fair, seven of them from Rojhelat, hoping that strong sales would help offset financial losses caused by rising production costs.
Mohammed Mahmoudi, director of Kurdistan Publishing House, said his company had brought hundreds of titles to the event despite the challenging economic conditions.
"We have brought more than 700 book titles and printed more than 30 new titles for this book fair… Unfortunately, the situation has now reached a point where a man is considered to have made a major achievement if he could provide food for himself and his family. This shows how bad the situation is," he said.
For Kurdish publishers in Iran, economic pressures are compounded by longstanding challenges surrounding Kurdish-language education and publishing.
Although Iran's constitution permits the use of regional and ethnic languages in the press and the teaching of their literature in schools, Persian remains the country's official language and the principal language of instruction.
Hero Nazmi and her husband travelled from Saqqez, a Kurdish-majority city in western Iran, to participate in the fair, bringing with them more than a decade of experience in the publishing industry.
Nazmi, a representative of Khani Publishing House, said political literature and memoirs remain particularly popular among Kurdish readers, alongside children's books.
"In Rojhelat, based on my own experience, people read more political books and memoirs, especially political ones. Children's books are also widely read - thanks to the attention young mothers give to the matter," she said.
"Kurdish is not an official language [in Rojhelat] and it is not taught to children at schools. Therefore we have to teach them ourselves at home for them to learn their mother tongue," she added.
For Kurdish publishers, the Erbil International Book Fair provides an opportunity not only to reach a wider Kurdish readership but also to sustain their businesses amid worsening economic conditions at home.
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