TEHRAN -Iranian television manufacturing companies have produced some 730,000 pieces of color television sets in the past Iranian calendar year (ending March 20) showing a 56-percent increase as compared with 471,000 sets produced in the year earlier. Talking to reporters, the Managing Director of Electronics and Electricity Department of the Ministry of Industries, Mohammad Jafar Lari said the number of color television sets produced last year was a record in the country and anticipated that by the end of the current Iranian calendar year the number would reach 850,000 units.

He added for the time being the demand in Iran's market for color T.V. sets was nearly 900,000 pieces annually. The official further said that negotiations are under way with a foreign company to set up a factory to produce television lamps locally to axe considerable amount of foreign exchange which is spent now on importing television lamps from abroad. Elsewhere he told reporters that the ministry has estimated the country will fetch some $30 million from the export of power, electricity and telecommunications equipment by the end of the Iranian year.

According to Lari in the past Iranian year some $10 million were allocated for computer production sector in the country. Last year some 36,000 units of computer sets were produced in the country.