TEHRAN – The nation’s cargo transportation and forwarding industry grew by 18.5 percent in terms of weight during the first five months of the current Iranian year (started March 20, 2006), a statement released by the Customs Administration said on Saturday.

A total of 2,345,400 tons of various cargos were transported across the nation in the period. The figure, however, is excluding the weight of the equivalent exchanged fuels.

Increased by 6.30 percent, the value of the products transported abroad during the same period hit $5,427,700,000, the report added.

Transportation of fuel via the nation however, declined by 11.9 percent but there was an increase of about 53 percent in the transport of the foodstuffs across the country during the period.

Shahid Rajaii, Sarakhs, Bazargan, Bandar Anzali and Lotfabad customs houses were respectively the nation’s most important cargo transportation origins, the report explained adding that 81.4 percent of the total transported cargos in terms of weight were delivered from the customs offices.

The bulk of the cargoes transported into the nation were from the United Arab Emirates, 453,200 tons, Turkmenistan, 445,600 tons, Uzbekistan, 331,400 tons, Turkey, 196,900 tons, Azerbaijan Republic, 166,400 tons.