ISFAHAN Isfahan steel mill had a 15-percent increase in output during the first four months of the current Iranian year (starting March 21), said a plant's official on Tuesday.

Ahmad Keyvan-Ara told some reporters that during the period, the plant produced some 496,000 tons of iron beam as well as 303,000 tons of iron bar which, he noted, show an increase of 2 percent compared to the previous year's corresponding figures.

"Also during the same time, some 735,000 tons of cast iron along with 740,000 tons of steel ingot have been produced in the plant," he added.

He further noted that the plant's products, being of a very high quality, are mainly exported to Italy, Greece, Spain and other European countries.

According to him, some remarkable amounts of inferior-quality steel goods have been imported to the country from the newly-independented countries of the Central Asia.

Referring to the future risks of the step, he urged the responsible officials embark on eliminating the problem.

On the sale price of the Isfahan complex products, he said, "Despite an increase in the price of the raw material, work forces as well as the costs related to research projects of the plant, we have seen no increase in the products' price as of the late March of the previous year (started March 20,2000)."

The 1945 Russian-built Isfahan steel mill, along with the Mobarakeh Steel Complex (of Isfahan) and the Ahvaz Steel Plant, are the most important steel plants of Iran in producing and exporting different steel products.