TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency) – Iran exported $291 million worth of non-metal industrial products during the first six months of the current Iranian year (ending March 20, 2004), managing director of non-metal industries in the Ministry of Mines and Industry said here Monday.

Hassan Ayyubi added that the volume comprised about 594,000 tons of the products, corroborating 61.4 and 44.8 percent in weight and value respectively in comparison with the corresponding period last year. “Iran’s total non-oil exports in the aforesaid period valued at $2.5 billion.”

Non metal industrial products shared 11.63 percent of the entire non-oil exports of Mines and Industry section, Ayyubi stated, saying that paraffin, grease, resin, chemical products, and drugs were among the major exported items of the industry.

It is expected that non-metal exports attain $600 million until the end of this year, he added. Meanwhile, he said that, as a 9/11 consequence, Arab countries appear to have great tendency in Iranian beverage industry. “Thus, beverage exports experienced 64 percent growth in value when compared with the latest figure.”

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, and some other Persian Gulf littoral states are reported to be the main Iranian beverage importers. ER/IS END MNA