MASHHAD, Khorasan Razavi Prov. – Some 33,000 cars will be manufactured in Iran Khodro Khorasan factory by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2007).

The factory will also be producing some 100,000 Peugeot cars (two models) in the next Iranian year (starts March 21, 2007). It is located in Binalud New Town, 55 kilometers southeast of Mashhad and exports cars to Kerman, Sistan-Baluchestan, North and South Khorasan provinces as well as supplying the car market in Khorasan Razavi.

New Russian consul calls for trade increase with Isfahan

ISFAHAN – The newly appointed Russian consul to Isfahan told the general governor of the central Iranian province Mr. Bakhtiari that he has been assigned to pave the way for increasing relations with Isfahan, especially with its business firms.

Nikolai Gregorievich Shevchenko also noted that all 90 social-economic regions of his country would like to expand economic ties with this historical Iranian province.

He pointed to the visits by Isfahani trade delegations of S. Petersburg and Moscow in the past few years, adding they also like to start trade exchanges with the Isfahan Chamber of Commerce. For his part, Bakhtiari called for further cooperation between the two sides in various fields including handicraft which has made Isfahan world-famous and host to many tourists from very distant countries.

Kandovan, first cliff hotel in Iran, to open in a year

TABRIZ, East Azarbaijan Prov. – The first hotel in the Kandovan cliff village, also the first cliff hotel in the country, will be opened next fall, director of Kandovan Village Research Site told ILNA on Saturday.

“A parking lot will be built outside this historical village this year,” Akbar Taghizadeh stated, adding that ‘almost any kind of construction operation’ is banned inside Kandovan by the local authorities. The project of building the Kandovan cliff hotel was first slated to be completed this month.

The village is located 65 kilometers south of Tabriz, and dates back to at least 800 years ago. Lying in a mountainous area, it enjoys a unique architectural style. At first glance, one sees some sharp conical diggings with a hole on the surface. Inside each cone, some rooms can be seen which were used as dining room, kitchen, storage place and even stable.

MP pledges self-sufficiency in sugar in 2 years

TEHRAN – A member of the parliament claimed on Saturday the country would become self-sufficient in sugar in the next two years as production capacity increases in the domestic factories.

“Currently, some 90 percent of the country’s demand for sugar is produced in these factories,” Jasem Saedi noted, adding that like wheat farmers, Bank Mellat will pay the sugar beet farmers without delay this year. “We are allowed to import up to 120,000 tons of sugar by the end of the year,” added Saedi, who chairs the Majlis Committee of Agriculture.

Five-month vegetable oil production hits 591,000 tons

TEHRAN – Some 591,000 tons of vegetable oil was produced in the country in the first five months of the current Iranian year (March 21-August 22, 2006).

This showed 11 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The volume was collected from a total of 684,000 tons of oilseeds. Vegetable oil production in Iran is projected to reach 1.4 million tons by the end of the current Iranian year. Meanwhile, some 47,000 tons of vegetable oil was exported to several neighboring countries in the said period.