TEHRAN (Fars News Agency) -- Iranian Minister of Commerce said that his country's non-oil exports would amount to $30 billion by the end of the Fourth Development Plan (2005-10).

Masud Mir-Kazemi reminded that Iran's non-oil exports in the first year of the country's fourth five-year development plan experienced a 10.8% growth, and said Iran has exported 16% of its products to the EU, 5% to Southeast Asia, 8% to Africa, and 20% to ECO member states.

He also pointed to the UAE, Germany, the U.S., Italy and Japan as the major customers of Persian carpets, a main item of the country's non-oil exports.

The minister pointed to the UAE, Iraq, India, China, Japan, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Germany as the main trading partners of Iran, and stated the country has exported over $300 million of non-oil products to the said states. He also said that Iran's imports in the last 6 months show a growth of 1.3%, adding, "If imports are controlled at a 50% rate of growth, the country's non-oil trade balance will turn positive."

Mir-Kazemi described Iran's various production potentials and the increase of oil and gas prices, regional demand for Iranian goods and products and the rising demand in the regional markets as positive opportunities for export of Iranian goods.