TEHRAN- The weight of commodities transited via South Khorasan Province in the east of Iran has increased 23 percent during the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-October 21), according to a provincial official.

Moshir-ul-Haq Abedi, the deputy governor-general of South Khorasan for economic affairs, announced that 4,009 trucks have transited 129,389 tons of commodities from the province to Afghanistan in the seven-month period, indicating a 19 percent rise in the number of trucks as well.

The official said that the commodities from Indonesia, China, Turkmenistan, India, United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Turkey were transited to Afghanistan via Mahiroud Border Terminal in South Khorasan Province.

In early July, an official with the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration had said that the transit of commodities through Iran is expected to fall 30 percent in the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 20, 2021).

According to Mostafa Ayati, the director-general of IRICA’s Transit Bureau, the volume of transit also decreased by 26 percent in the previous Iranian calendar year to 7.15 million tons.

The official expressed concerns over the condition of the transit sector in Iran and said necessary measures should be taken to revive this sector.

“The volume of transit in 1399 [the current Iranian calendar year] will decrease by 30 percent in the most optimistic scenario, which indicates the existence of various problems in this sector which beg serious attention,” he said.

One of the main reasons for the decline in the transit of goods via Iran has been the outbreak of coronavirus and the consequent closure of the country’s borders with its neighboring countries.

Considering its geographical location, Iran can play a significant role in the transit of goods in the region and benefit a lot from its status in this due. To benefit from its location for transit, the country has many plans underway and on the agenda to boost its transit capacity.

Some of these plans include developing Iran’s largest container port, Shahid Rajaee Port in the southern province of Hormozgan, and also Chabahar Port in the southeast of the country, connecting the ports to the railway network, development of transit via railway, and also some customs measures such as improving transit procedures in the customs offices.

MA/MA