TEHRAN – Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) of Iran is tasked to establish specialized export terminals in certain provinces to facilitate the exports of some commodities, IRIB reported, quoting a senior official.

According to the Deputy Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Hossein Modares Khiabani, dates, fishery products, fruit and vegetables, flowers and plants, barberry, saffron, and jujube are among the export commodities for which specialized export terminals are going to be launched to provide the necessary infrastructure for the development of non-oil exports.

“The Trade Promotion Organization is expected to pay particular attention to providing the necessary infrastructure for the expansion of the country's non-oil exports,” Khiabani stressed in a meeting on export quality control at the place of TPO in Tehran.

“We believe that if such specialized export terminals are created, many of the problems pertaining to the exports of certain commodities will be resolved,” he said.
He further pointed to his ministry’s programs for the development of exports by guilds, adding that TPO is also focusing on supporting the exports of products provided by the country’s guilds including clothing, bags and shoes, leather and furniture.

The official also emphasized the significant role of the non-oil exports in the country’s economy considering the U.S. sanctions on the oil industry.

“In the current situation, given the restrictions imposed on Iran's oil sales, the country is running mostly by the non-oil export revenues. In the face of the sanctions, our non-oil exporters have managed to export $32 billion worth of commodities [during March-December, 2019 period] which is very significant,” Khiabani said.

Increasing non-oil export to the neighboring countries is one of the major plans that the Iranian government is pursuing in the current Iranian calendar year (began on March 21, 2019).

Back in August 2019, Khiabani said the industry ministry has it on the agenda to increase the value of non-oil exports to Iran’s 15 neighbors up to $50 billion.
Iran shares border with fifteen countries, namely the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Oman, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.

Based on the data published by TPO, the value of trade with the neighboring countries stood at over $36.5 billion in the past Iranian calendar year.

EF/MA