Iran can increase its oil and gas production in the current Iranian year(starting on March 21)  by using knowledge-based firms, said the country’s minister of petroleum in Tehran on Friday.

 The 26th International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition kicked off during an opening ceremony at Tehran’s Permanent Fairground on Friday and will run through Monday, May 16.

Javad Owji, who made the remarks on the sidelines of the 26th International Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical Exhibition, dubbed Iran Oil Show, told Shana, “Today, we are witnessing the presence of Iranian knowledge-based firms that have put their latest products on display.”
The minister underlined that knowledge-based firms and highly skilled experts have the capacity to greatly help the oil and gas sectors boost their production in hydrocarbon fields.
“We have to pay special attention to knowledge-based firms and develop their activities in the oil industry,” he stressed.
The four-day exhibition will host 1,200 Iranian and 44 foreign companies or their agents.
Apart from domestic participants representing Iran, foreign companies are from Italy, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Switzerland, Germany, Ukraine, South Africa, and Belgium.
The companies and other participants are showcasing their latest achievements and products in 908 pavilions, of which 815 are the stands for companies, 23 for universities and scientific and research centers, and 70 for knowledge-based firms startup industrial parks.
In addition, 27 expert-level sessions revolving around the topics of “knowledge-based firms, energy policymaking, future of gas market, new means for financial supply, and other main issues in the oil industry” will be held.
Eight of the expert-level sessions will shed light on the oil industry’s needs in upstream and downstream sectors, calling for the participating knowledge-based firms to help meet them.
Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also visited the exhibition.
Accompanied by Minister of Petroleum Javad Owji, Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Mohsen Khojasteh-Mehr, and Head of Parliament’s Energy Committee Fereydoun Hassanvand, Ghalibaf was briefed by officials on the latest achievements, products, and underway projects of the participating companies and exhibitors.
The Parliament speaker also visited the NIOC pavilion and held talks with the company’s officials and staff across the country via videoconference.
Ghalibaf appreciated the NIOC for its great efforts, expressing his views on promoting the oil industry.
Ghalibaf criticized selling oil as unprocessed and said worse than crude selling was crude thinking and mismanaging the country's oil, gas, and energy industry.
"We should protect the oil wealth instead of the crude oil itself," Ghalibaf stressed, stating that the administration and the Parliament in the country should believe in the people's economy, Ghalibaf emphasized directing liquidity to production.
He went on to emphasize that to circumvent sanctions, income stability, and increase value-added, we must correct the orientations, saying: "In this regard, we need to use gas as a basis for exports, which is more stable and its added value is less than the field."