TEHRAN- The value of exports from Kermanshah province, in the west of Iran, increased 22 percent during the first quarter of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-June 21), as compared to the first quarter of the previous year, according to a provincial official.

Saying that the main part of commodities was exported to Iraq, Keyvan Kashefi, the head of the province’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture, said Kermanshah’s export to Iraq increased during the three-month period, while Iran’s total export to this neighboring country fell in the mentioned time span.

He mentioned ceramic tiles, iron products, petrochemical products, fruits and vegetables, tomato paste, cartons and disposable tableware as the major products exported from the province during the first quarter.

The value of Iran’s non-oil exports reached $10.7 billion in the first three months of the current Iranian calendar year, up 69 percent compared to the last year’s same period, IRNA reported quoting the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).

According to Mehdi Mir-Ashrafi, Iran exported 30 million tons of non-oil commodities in the mentioned three months, registering a 38-percent rise compared to the figure for the last year’s Q1.

Meanwhile, some 8.4 million tons of goods valued at $10.2 billion were also imported into the country in the said period to register a 34-percent rise in terms of value compared to the last year’s same quarter.

In total, the Islamic Republic traded 38.4 million tons of non-oil goods worth $20.9 billion with its trade partners in the first quarter of the current Iranian calendar year, up 25 percent and 50 percent in terms of weight and value, respectively, Mir-Ashrafi said.

According to the official, the country’s trade balance was $476 million positive in the mentioned time span.

Iran's top five non-oil export destinations during this period were China with $3.1 billion worth of exports, Iraq with $2.3 billion, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with over $1.3 billion, Turkey with $595 million, and Afghanistan with $570 million.

Meanwhile, the country’s top five sources of imports during these two months were the UAE with $3.2 billion, China with $2.2 billion, Turkey with $1 billion, Germany with $414 million, and Switzerland with $384 million worth of imports.

The official also noted that over 2.742 million tons of goods were transited through Iran in the said period, registering a 121-percent rise compared to the same period in the previous year.

The value of Iran’s non-oil trade stood at $73 billion in the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20).

According to Mir-Ashrafi, Iran’s non-oil export was 112 million tons valued at $34.5 billion, while that of import was 34.4 million tons worth $38.5 billion in the past year, the official added.

MA/MA